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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
| | | | | |
☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022
OR
| | | | | |
☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 000-56468
JUSHI HOLDINGS INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| | | | | | | | |
British Columbia | | 98-1547061 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| |
301 Yamato Road, Suite 3250 Boca Raton, Florida | (561) 617-9100 | 33431 |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | Registrant's telephone number, including area code | (Zip Code) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| | | | | | | | |
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports); and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Large accelerated filer | o | Accelerated filer | o |
Non-accelerated filer | x | Smaller reporting company | o |
| | Emerging growth company | x |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. o
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. o
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No x
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding subordinate voting shares held by non-affiliates (based on the last reported sale price of these shares on the OTCQX Best Market) on June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $253.9 million.
As of April 12, 2023, the registrant had 196,633,371 subordinate voting shares, no par value per share, no multiple voting shares, no par value per share, no super voting shares, no par value per share, and no preferred shares, no par value per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III incorporates certain information by reference from the definitive proxy statement to be filed by the registrant in connection with the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2023 Proxy Statement”). The 2023 Proxy Statement will be filed by the registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after December 31, 2022, the end of the registrant’s fiscal year.
JUSHI HOLDINGS INC.
Table of Contents
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “report”) may contain “forward-looking statements” and “forward‐looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including Canadian securities legislation and United States (“U.S.”) securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking information”) which are based upon the Company’s current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. All information, other than statements of historical facts, included in this report that address activities, events or developments that Jushi expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitutes forward‐looking information. Forward‐looking information is often identified by the words, “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar expressions and includes, among others, information regarding: future business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, expansion and growth of Jushi’s business, operations and plans, including new revenue streams, the completion of contemplated acquisitions by Jushi of additional assets, the integration and benefits of recently acquired businesses or assets, roll out of new operations, the implementation by Jushi of certain product lines, implementation of certain research and development, the application for additional licenses and the grant of licenses that will be or have been applied for, the expansion or construction of certain facilities, the expansion into additional U.S. and international markets, any potential future legalization of adult use and/or medical marijuana under U.S. federal law; expectations of market size and growth in the U.S. and the states in which Jushi operates; expectations for other economic, business, regulatory and/or competitive factors related to Jushi or the cannabis industry generally; and other events or conditions that may occur in the future.
Readers are cautioned that forward‐looking information is not based on historical facts but instead is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of the management of Jushi at the time they were provided or made and such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, including our ability to continue as a going concern, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Jushi, as applicable, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward‐looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks relating to U.S. regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, including political risks; risks relating to anti‐money laundering laws and regulation; other governmental and environmental regulation; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; risks related to the economy generally; risks relating to pandemics and forces of nature including but not limited to the 2019 novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”); risks related to contracts with third party service providers; risks related to the enforceability of contracts; the limited operating history of Jushi; Jushi’s history of operating losses and negative operating cash flows; reliance on the expertise and judgment of senior management of Jushi; risks inherent in an agricultural business; risks related to co‐investment with parties with different interests to Jushi; risks related to proprietary intellectual property and potential infringement by third parties; risks relating to the Company’s recent debt financing and other financing activities including increased leverage and issuing additional equity securities; risks relating to the management of growth; costs associated with Jushi being a publicly-traded company; the Company being a U.S. filer in addition to a Canadian filer; increasing competition in the industry; risks associated with cannabis products manufactured for human consumption including potential product recalls; reliance on key inputs, suppliers and skilled labor; reliance on manufacturers and contractors; risks of supply shortages or supply chain disruptions; cybersecurity risks; constraints on marketing products; fraudulent activity by employees, contractors and consultants; tax and insurance related risks; risk of litigation; conflicts of interest; risks relating to certain remedies being limited and the difficulty of enforcement of judgments and effect service outside of Canada; risks related to completed, pending or future acquisitions or dispositions, including potential future impairment of goodwill or intangibles acquired and/or post-closing disputes; sales of a significant amount of shares by existing shareholders; the limited market for securities of the Company; risks related to the continued performance of existing operations in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; risks related to the anticipated openings of additional dispensaries or relocation of existing dispensaries; the risks relating to the expansion and optimization of the grower-processor in Pennsylvania, the vertically integrated facilities in Virginia and Massachusetts and the facility in Nevada; the risks related to opening new facilities which is subject to licensing approval; limited research and data relating to cannabis; and risks related to the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates.
Although Jushi has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward‐looking information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward‐looking information contained in this report or other forward-looking statements made by Jushi. Forward‐looking information is provided and made as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and Jushi does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward‐looking information or statements other than as required by applicable law.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to “Jushi,” “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Jushi Holdings Inc. and our subsidiaries.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator engaged in retail, distribution, cultivation, and processing operations in both medical and adult-use markets. We are focused on building a diverse portfolio of cannabis assets through opportunistic investments and pursuing application opportunities in attractive limited license markets. We have targeted assets in highly populated, limited license medical markets that are on a trajectory toward adult-use legalization, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, markets that are in the process of transitioning to adult-use, namely Virginia, and limited license, fast-growing, large adult-use markets, such as Illinois, Nevada and Massachusetts, and certain municipalities of California.
Business Strategy
We seek to find market opportunities with favorable relevant local competitive and regulatory landscapes, supply/demand dynamics, and growth potential. We are focused on expanding our retail presence in current markets, increasing our offering of branded product lines, targeting acquisition opportunities across the supply chain, and applying for de novo licenses. We evaluate the economic viability of each opportunity before making capital allocation decisions and may decide to participate in one or more facets of the supply chain based on the dynamics of each individual market. In certain markets, we may seek to apply a capital-light or retail-focused strategy, especially where cultivation may become further commoditized in future years. In limited license medical markets (e.g., Pennsylvania), or markets in the process of transitioning to adult-use (e.g., Virginia), we may seek to expand our cultivation assets despite the high level of capital investment required, given the significant market opportunity. Also, in other markets, we may seek a more balanced capital allocation approach where we may acquire a grower-processor and/or additional retail dispensaries in a market where we currently operate, such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and Ohio. Lastly, in limited license adult-use cannabis markets that are expanding, we may allocate significant capital to acquire a vertically integrated operator. By establishing a strong platform and retail-brand recognition in markets that have the greatest growth potential, we expect to be well-positioned for future growth in the adult-use cannabis market if and when it is further legalized.
Current Operations
Sales
With respect to cannabis retail locations, we target highly visible locations adjacent to or near heavily trafficked roads. For cultivation, production and other forms of industrial activity, we target locations with immediate capabilities as well as future expansion potential. We use an internal team for the selection of real estate, as well as a broad network of real estate brokers. We make the determination to purchase or lease our underlying real estate on a case-by-case basis.
We plan to expand our network of cannabis retail locations in select markets. We have developed key indicators to identify attractive sites based on existing competition, population, real estate, parking, traffic and regulatory market attractiveness. We intend to inform patients and consumers about our product offerings in a welcoming environment through one-on-one interactions with staff.
Retail
The table below reflects the number of dispensaries that were in operation in each state as of December 31, 2022:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Number of Dispensaries | | | | |
State | | Medical-use | | Adult-use | | Total | | Brands |
California (1) | | — | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | BEYOND HELLO™ |
Illinois (2) | | — | | | 4 | | | 4 | | | BEYOND HELLO™ |
Massachusetts (3) | | — | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | Nature’s RemedyTM |
Nevada | | — | | | 4 | | | 4 | | | BEYOND HELLO™/NuLeafTM |
Pennsylvania | | 18 | | | — | | | 18 | | | BEYOND HELLO™ |
Virginia (4) | | 4 | | | — | | | 4 | | | BEYOND HELLO™ |
Total (4)(5) | | 22 | | | 13 | | | 35 | | | |
(1)Includes three co-located medical dispensaries.
(2)Includes two co-located medical dispensaries.
(3)Includes one co-located medical dispensaries.
(4)Excludes one store that was opened in January 2023. We are permitted to open one additional dispensary, subject to local zoning and state regulatory approvals.
(5)One medical cannabis dispensary was opened in the State of Ohio during January 2023, under the BEYOND HELLO™ brand.
Online Platforms
We operate three age-gated online platforms through www.beyond-hello.com, www.naturesremedyma.com, and www.nuleafnv.com for patients and customers (the “Online Platforms”). The Online Platforms are not intended to be used for advertising activities but are intended to be used as a virtual tool, allowing patients and customers to understand the cannabis products that we offer and view real-time pricing and product availability at our dispensaries. The Online Platforms do not provide any information or any other functionalities with respect to any third-party dispensaries.
No cannabis purchase and sale transactions occur on the Online Platforms. A patient or customer may reserve products using the Online Platforms, but the patient or customer must be physically present at the point-of-sale to consummate the purchase and sale of products. This requirement allows us and dispensary staff to ensure that the standard operating procedures, including our compliance programs, are applied to all patients and customers in connection with the purchase and sale of products.
In jurisdictions where medical cannabis is legal, upon arrival of the patient at the applicable dispensary, or at the point of delivery (where permissible), dispensary staff must verify the patient’s identity and accreditation (such as a state-issued medical cannabis card) and confirm the patient’s allotment to ensure the user is not exceeding the state’s allotment limits. Once the foregoing is verified, the patient may pay for the product(s) to complete the purchase. If the patient does not have valid identification and accreditation, the patient will not be able to purchase medical cannabis at our applicable dispensary, or at the point of delivery (where permissible), irrespective of any reservation(s) made on one of our Online Platforms.
In jurisdictions where recreational cannabis is legal, upon arrival of the customer at the applicable dispensary, or at the point of delivery (where permissible), dispensary staff must verify that the customer is at least 21 years of age by verifying the customer’s government-issued identification. Once the identification is verified, the customer may pay for the product(s) to complete the transaction. If the customer does not have valid identification, the customer will not be able to purchase recreational cannabis at our applicable dispensary, or at the point of delivery (where permissible), irrespective of any reservation(s) made on one of our Online Platforms.
Product Selection and Offerings
We offer both in-house brands and third party products at each of our retail locations. We negotiate with potential brand vendors across all product categories including flower, vape pens, oils, extracts, edibles and pre-rolls to make future product selection decisions. Leveraging our managements’ experience, we analyze market dynamics, product quality, profitability, impact and consumer demand to carry out our long-term strategy in each market. With high-impact retail locations in key markets, we expect to be a desirable partner for nationally scaling brands and/or in-house products.
In Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, our dispensaries sell our own in-house brands and a variety of third-party cannabis products, including, cannabis dry flower, vaporizer forms of cannabis, edibles (where permissible), cannabis oil in capsule, tinctures, cannabis in topical products, and other cannabis products. In Illinois and California, our dispensaries sell a variety of third-party cannabis products, including cannabis dry flower, vaporizer forms of cannabis, cannabis oil in capsule, tinctures, cannabis in topical products, cannabis edible products and other cannabis products. Further, in California, we sell a variety of third-party manufactured cannabis products bearing our branding, through a white label licensing arrangement.
In connection with such cultivation and processing, we intend to utilize intellectual property, including trademarks, trade secrets, extraction techniques, concentrates and other proprietary information related to our cannabis brands within the states such cannabis brands are marketed and sold. We have received state approval to produce and market these products under such brands where applicable. We may pursue trademark registration of material brands with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office promptly following a change in the U.S. Patent and Trade Office's policy position towards cannabis products, which currently does not accept such registrations, or a change in related laws. We rely on non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements to protect our intellectual property rights. These brands and formulations include:
Premium Flower: The Bank
The Bank is known for its superior plant genetics and next-level cultivation. The Bank offers pre-packaged flower, infused blunts and pre-rolls comprised of three tiered lines including: Gold Standard, Cache and Vault each offering varying degrees of quality, availability and price. Currently, The Bank is available at our dispensaries in Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, and other licensed retailers across these markets.
Vapes & Concentrates: The Lab
The Lab is renowned for high-quality, precision vape products, and concentrates, including the pioneering of live rosin. The Lab offers a wide selection of vape cartridges, disposables and concentrates. The Lab products are available at our dispensaries in Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and other licensed retailers across these markets.
Within The Lab brand family, we launched our first line of solventless live rosin extracts, the new top-shelf product line, produced purely from premium flower and extracted simply with ice and water, including a 0.5g vape extract cartridge and a 1g jarred concentrate available exclusively at our dispensaries in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia under the name The Lab™ Solventless Live RSN. It is also expected to launch at our dispensaries in Nevada and Ohio pending regulatory approval.
Also within The Lab brand family, in 2022 we debuted our first line of concentrates made using hydrocarbon extraction. The Lab™ Live Resin is the second of several single-source concentrate product lines to be launched. Initially, we will exclusively carry The Lab™ Live Resin 500mg full-spectrum 0.5 gram 510 cartridges and 300mg rechargeable, all-in-one 0.3g vapes at our BEYOND HELLO™ retail locations in Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia. We plan to roll out our hydrocarbon-extracted line at partner dispensaries across Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia in the coming months. We also plan to launch a variety of 1 gram concentrates in the coming months, pending regulatory approval.
Edibles: Tasteology
Jushi launched Tasteology, an edible brand offering premium, real fruit, cannabis-infused gummies and chewable tablets. Tasteology is the culmination of extensive consumer research into both the taste and effect preferences of people in Jushi’s markets where edibles can be offered. Currently, Tasteology is available at our dispensaries in Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia, and other licensed retailers across these markets.
Fine Grind (Shake), Fine Flower (Popcorn) and Singles (Pre-Rolls): Sèchè
Sèchè is a new category in cannabis that redefines the perception of value products like shake and popcorn. Sèchè offers products like Fine Grind (Shake), Fine Flower (Popcorn) and Singles (Pre-Rolls). Currently, Sèchè is available at our dispensaries across California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and other licensed retailers across these markets.
Premium Flower: Hijinks
In 2023, Jushi will be launching Hijinks, a new flower brand which is being developed to address the premium flower market and introduce our newer genetics. Hijinks will be available in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Cultivation & Processing
We are currently engaged in cannabis cultivation and processing in Pennsylvania, at our grower-processor facility operated by our wholly-owned subsidiary Pennsylvania Medical Solutions, LLC (“PAMS”). In November 2020, we announced our intention to launch a phased expansion of the PAMS facility to better serve the growing medical cannabis market in Pennsylvania. The first phase of the expansion, which was completed in the second quarter of 2022, expanded the facility from 81,000 sq. ft. to 123,000 sq. ft., increased total canopy from approximately 16,000 sq. ft. to approximately 35,000 sq. ft., and increased annual biomass capacity from about 8,000 lbs. to approximately 22,000 lbs. Phase two of the expansion, which will commence pending favorable regulatory developments in Pennsylvania, such as adult-use legislation, is expected to increase the PAMS facility from 123,000 sq. ft. to 210,000 sq. ft., increase total canopy from 35,000 sq. ft. to approximately 107,000 sq. ft., and increase annual biomass capacity from about 22,000 lbs. to approximately 60,000 lbs. In addition to these two phases of buildout, PAMS continues to assess and develop further expansion opportunities at the PAMS facility to meet the needs of patients and wholesale market demand, now and in the future.
We are also engaged in cannabis cultivation and processing in Virginia. Through our wholly-owned subsidiary Dalitso LLC (“Dalitso”), we operate a facility in Manassas, Virginia (the “Manassas Facility”) which allows us to cultivate, process, dispense and deliver medical cannabis to registered patients in Virginia. The Manassas Facility is approximately 93,000 sq. ft.
In May 2021, we began phase one of the expansion of the Manassas Facility, which added approximately 63,000 sq. ft. of cultivation, manufacturing and processing capacity and was completed in the second quarter of 2022. At full capacity, the facility has approximately 19,000 sq. ft. of canopy and an annual biomass production capacity of approximately 12,000 lbs. We are in the design phase of constructing a second connected on-site building that would be built in two phases (phase two and phase three), pending regulatory developments. Phase two of the second building is expected to increase the facility from 93,000 sq. ft. to 195,000 sq. ft., increase total canopy from about 19,000 sq. ft. to approximately 54,000 sq. ft., and increase annual biomass production from about 12,000 lbs. to approximately 35,000 lbs. We anticipate commencing phase two of the expansion when there is clear line of sight into the timing of the state’s regulatory developments surrounding the beginning of an adult-use sales program. Phase three would add another approximately 68,000 sq. ft. to the facility, 69,000 sq. ft. of canopy, and 45,000 lbs. of annual biomass production for a total of approximately 263,000 sq. ft., 123,000 sq. ft. of canopy, and 80,000 lbs. of annual biomass capacity. Dalitso’s planned facility buildout enables Dalitso to efficiently produce a consistent supply of medical cannabis products as patient access increases and the medical cannabis program continues to mature and expand.
In September 2021, we closed on our acquisition of Nature’s Remedy. Nature’s Remedy currently operates a 50,000 sq. ft. cultivation and processing facility in Lakeville, Massachusetts with indoor flower canopy and extraction and manufacturing capabilities (the “Lakeville Facility”). The Lakeville Facility completed an expansion to approximately 33,000 sq. ft. of canopy during the second half of 2021. As part of the expansion, the Lakeville Facility will be capable of producing annual biomass of approximately 21,000 lbs.
In Nevada, through our subsidiary FBS NV, we engage in cultivation and processing operations in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and are permitted to purchase and/or sell cannabis and cannabis products to other authorized licensees on a wholesale basis. FBS NV operates a 7,200 sq. ft. facility featuring state-of-the-art, indoor, multi-tier vertical cultivation that yields approximately 2,800 lbs. of high-quality dry flower per year. Pursuant to the hemp handler license, FBS NV was also permitted to handle raw industrial hemp, purchase hemp-derived constituents (such as hemp-derived CBD) from licensed hemp operators, and to infuse or manufacture products containing hemp-derived constituents. FBS NV surrendered its hemp handler license in 2022.
In April 2022, we expanded our capabilities in Nevada by acquiring NuLeaf, a Nevada-based vertically integrated business operating a 27,000 sq. ft. cultivation facility in Sparks, Nevada, and a 13,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Reno. NuLeaf’s cultivation operations span 27,000 sq. ft. over two floors in a 15,000 sq. ft. building in Sparks, Nevada. The building is equipped with ten single tier flower rooms, with a flower canopy encompassing approximately 6,800 sq. ft., and a custom building automation system for controlled temperature, humidity, lighting, and CO2 enrichment. NuLeaf also operates a separate 13,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Reno, Nevada. The facility currently has hydrocarbon extraction capabilities and can hold an additional extraction unit within the existing space.
In August 2021, we completed the acquisition of FBS OH, a licensed medical marijuana processor in Ohio. FBS OH operates an 8,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art processing facility located in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, we acquired OhiGrow, LLC (“OhiGrow”) located in Toledo, Ohio. OhiGrow holds a Level II cultivation license that initially allowed for up to 3,000 sq. ft. of cultivation area. OhiGrow currently operates approximately 1,900 sq. ft. of canopy in a free-standing building. There is additional available vacant space on the property, which can be further developed. We applied for the necessary state approvals to expand the OhiGrow facility’s cultivation area to up to 6,000 sq. ft. of cultivation area and our application was approved in February 2023.
Wholesale
In addition to branded and manufactured finished products, we plan to sell bulk refined cannabinoids and terpenes to vendors for use in their own finished products, as our production capacity increases in certain markets. The full scale and allocation of production utilization will depend upon the scale of our owned and managed retail footprint in addition to the production capacity of our cultivation and production facilities.
Branding and Marketing
We continue the rollout of our flagship brands across our key operating markets. After the launch of our online pre-ordering platform, BEYOND HELLO™ has evolved into a fully integrated digital to brick-and-mortar experience, providing customers real-time access to pricing and product availability. All of our current retail locations operate under the BEYOND HELLO™ brand except in Massachusetts and Nevada. In Massachusetts, our retail locations operate under the Nature’s Remedy brand. In Nevada, we operate three retail locations under the NuLeaf brand and one under the BEYOND HELLO™. We are planning for our future retail locations in Virginia, California and other states to operate under the BEYOND HELLO™ brand as well. Further, in states where we have licensed cultivation and processing operations, we produce products under our in-house brands including The Lab™, Seche™ and Tasteology™ where allowed.
We operate a state-by-state opt-in loyalty program, “The Hello Club,” that rewards patients and customers with points and other exclusive offers based on their past purchases. We leverage SMS and email lists to promote specific products.
We provide retail partners with approved merchandise, and other display materials to support sales. We create product imagery, video and descriptions which are included across online dispensary menus where our products are sold.
We take advantage of various directory platforms for cannabis businesses to help prospective patients and customers find our respective retail locations. We also run out-of-home marketing campaigns in approved markets and locations for our retail dispensaries.
Principal Markets & Competition
We compete against other retail and vertical licensees across the various state markets that we operate in. In certain markets, such as California, many of our competitors are small local dispensaries; however, we expect to compete against both large Multi-State Operators (“MSO”), as well as Canadian licensed producers, if and when cannabis is federally legal in the U.S. A "Multi-State Operator" is a colloquial term used to describe a company that engages in the cultivation, production and/or sale of cannabis and cannabis products in more than one state in accordance with applicable state and local laws, rules and regulations. In addition, we expect to compete against both third party and direct delivery services. We seek to address our competitive risk in these markets by picking strategic locations, with defensible buffers naturally built in through local regulations and local dispensaries laws.
With respect to cultivation and processing, we compete with both MSO's and local operators in the states in which we operate. In Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, we compete with larger MSO's that may have better access to public markets, more experienced management teams, or are further along in terms of reaching scale. We are positioning ourselves to minimize all of the above risks through accretive acquisitions, superior execution, and thoughtful location of retail and manufacturing sites.
Business in Europe
We hold a 51% interest in Jushi Europe SA, a company organized under the laws of Switzerland. Jushi Europe’s wholly owned Portuguese subsidiary, JPTREH Unipessoal Limitada, a business entity organized under the laws of Portugal (Jushi Portugal), submitted an application to Portugal’s National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (INFARMED) for import, cultivation and export of medical cannabis. Jushi Portugal was granted a pre-license in November 2020. Jushi Portugal acquired 32 acres of land to construct a greenhouse cultivation facility in southern Portugal. The build-out of the greenhouse cultivation facility commenced, but was subsequently halted.
In February 2022, Jushi Europe filed a notice of over-indebtedness with the Swiss courts. Then in March 2022, the independent accounting firm for Jushi Europe also filed a notice of over-indebtedness with the Swiss courts. As a result of the impending bankruptcy of Jushi Europe, we determined that the assets of Jushi Europe were impaired and recognized an impairment loss of $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is included in operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operation and comprehensive income (loss). The Swiss courts declared Jushi Europe’s bankruptcy in May 2022. As a result, Jushi Europe updated its corporate name to Jushi Europe SA in liquidation, which is still on-going.
Neither Jushi Europe nor Jushi Portugal operates nor plans to operate in any emerging markets (as defined by Ontario Securities Commission Staff Notice 51-720 – Issuer Guide for Companies Operating in Emerging Markets).
Regulatory Overview
Below is a discussion of the federal and state-level U.S. regulatory regimes in those jurisdictions where we are currently directly involved in the cannabis industry.
Federal Regulation of Cannabis in the U.S.
Under U.S. federal law, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug. The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) has five different tiers or schedules. A Schedule I drug means the Drug Enforcement Agency considers it to have a high potential
for abuse, no accepted medical treatment and lack of accepted safety for the use of it even under medical supervision. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD and ecstasy. In June 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) approved Epidiolex, a purified form of CBD derived from the marijuana plant and used to treat two rare, intractable forms of epilepsy. We believe marijuana’s categorization as a Schedule I drug is thus not reflective of the medicinal properties of marijuana or the public perception thereof, and numerous studies show cannabis is not able to be abused in the same way as other Schedule I drugs, has medicinal properties and can be safely administered. In this respect, 38 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have passed laws authorizing comprehensive, publicly available medical marijuana programs, and 21 of those states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing marijuana for adult-use.
In an effort to address incongruities between marijuana prohibition under the CSA and legalization under various state laws, the federal government issued guidance to law enforcement agencies and financial institutions during the Presidency of Barack Obama through Department of Justice (DOJ) memoranda. The most recent such memorandum is a DOJ memorandum issued by Deputy Attorney General James Cole in 2013 (the Cole Memo). The Cole Memo provided guidance to federal enforcement agencies as to how they should prioritize civil enforcement, criminal investigations and prosecutions regarding marijuana in all states. The Cole Memo shielded individuals and businesses participating in state-legal marijuana operations from prosecution under federal drug laws, excepting marijuana-related conduct that fell into one of the following enumerated prosecution priorities:
1.Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors;
2.Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels;
3.Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states;
4.Preventing the state-authorized marijuana activity from being used as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs or other illegal activity;
5.Preventing the violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana;
6.Preventing the drugged driving and the exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use;
7.Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by marijuana production on public lands; and
8.Preventing marijuana possession or use on federal property.
In January 2018, then U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued the Sessions Memo, which rescinded the Cole Memo. Rather than provide nationwide guidance respecting marijuana-related crimes in jurisdictions where certain marijuana activity was legal under state law, the Sessions Memo instructs that “[i]n deciding which marijuana activities to prosecute. With the DOJ’s finite resources, prosecutors should follow the well-established principles that govern all federal prosecutions.” Namely, these include the seriousness of the offense, history of criminal activity, deterrent effect of prosecution, the interests of victims, and other principles. Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned in November 2018 and was replaced by Matthew Whitaker as interim Attorney General. In February 2019, William Barr was sworn in as Attorney General. Mr. Barr resigned as Attorney General in December 2020 and Merrick Garland was sworn in as Attorney General in March 2021. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s public comments to date suggest that the prosecution priorities outlined in the Cole Memo shape the Department of Justice’s prosecutorial priorities under his tenure.
Despite rescission of the Cole Memo, we remain mindful of the common-sense prosecution priorities set forth therein and have not modified policies or procedures intended to support its underlying safety-focused intent. To this end, we and our operating subsidiaries adhere to industry best practices for operations, mandate strict compliance with applicable state and local laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, guidance and like authority, implement procedures designed to ensure operations do not exceed what is authorized under applicable licenses, perform stringent diligence on third-parties with whom we do business, perform background checks on employees and maintain state-of-the-art seed-to-sale inventory tracking and other security infrastructure. Regular reviews of the foregoing and related operations, premises, documentation and the like are performed to ensure compliance with our safety, security and compliance standards.
Due to the CSA categorization of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, U.S. federal law makes it illegal for financial institutions that depend on the Federal Reserve’s money transfer system to take any proceeds from marijuana sales as deposits. Banks and other financial institutions could be prosecuted and possibly convicted of money laundering for providing services to cannabis businesses under the Bank Secrecy Act. Under U.S. federal law, banks or other financial institutions that provide a cannabis business with a checking account, debit or credit card, small business loan, or any other service could be found guilty of money laundering or conspiracy.
While there has been no change in U.S. federal banking laws to account for the trend towards legalizing medical and adult-use marijuana by U.S. states, the Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FinCEN has issued guidance in 2014 to prosecutors handling money laundering and other financial crimes advising them not to focus enforcement efforts on banks and other financial institutions servicing marijuana-related businesses so long as such businesses are legally operating under state law and not engaging in conduct within the scope of a Cole Memo prosecution priority (such as keeping marijuana away from minors and out of the hands of organized crime). The 2014 FinCEN guidance also clarifies how financial institutions can provide services to marijuana-related businesses consistent with their Bank Secrecy Act obligations, including thorough customer due diligence, but makes it clear that they are doing so at their own risk. The customer due diligence steps include:
1.Verifying with the appropriate state authorities whether the business is duly licensed and registered;
2.Reviewing the license application (and related documentation) submitted by the business for obtaining a state license to operate its marijuana-related business;
3.Requesting from state licensing and enforcement authorities available information about the business and related parties;
4.Developing an understanding of the normal and expected activity for the business, including the types of products to be sold and the type of customers to be served (e.g., medical versus adult-use customers);
5.Ongoing monitoring of publicly available sources for adverse information about the business and related parties;
6.Ongoing monitoring for suspicious activity, including for any of the red flags described in this guidance; and
7.Refreshing information obtained as part of customer due diligence on a periodic basis and commensurate with the risk.
With respect to information regarding state licensure obtained in connection with such customer due diligence, the 2014 FinCEN guidance allows financial institutions to reasonably rely on the accuracy of information provided by state licensing authorities where states make such information available.
Unlike the Cole Memo, 2014 FinCEN guidance remains effective as of the date of this Form 10-K. During the Trump Administration, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin publicly voiced his intent to leave such guidance in force and effect. The current Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, has not provided any public comment regarding her positions on the 2014 FinCEN guidance, but has previously indicated that she would be in favor of legislation that would provide safe harbor to financial institutions that worked with state-legal marijuana-related businesses. Nonetheless, despite FinCEN’s guidance, most banks and other financial institutions are still unwilling to provide banking or other financial services to marijuana businesses resulting in largely cash-based operations. While the FinCEN guidance decreased some risk for banks and financial institutions that accept marijuana business, it has not increased the industry’s access to banking services because financial institutions are required to perform extensive, continuous customer diligence respecting marijuana customers and are not immune from prosecution based on transacting business with such customers. In fact, some banks that had been servicing marijuana businesses have been closing the marijuana businesses’ accounts and are now refusing to open accounts for new marijuana businesses due to cost, risk, or both.
Although the Cole Memo was rescinded and FinCEN’s guidance has not made financial services widely available to legal marijuana businesses, a key legislative safeguard for the medical cannabis industry remains in place. Specifically, certain temporary federal legislative enactments that protect the medical marijuana industry have also been in effect. For instance, certain marijuana businesses receive a measure of protection from federal prosecution by operation of a temporary appropriations measures that has been enacted into law as an amendment or “rider” to federal spending bills passed by Congress and signed by both Presidents Obama and Trump. First adopted in the Appropriations Act of 2015, Congress has
since included in successive budgets a “rider” that prohibits the DOJ from expending any funds to enforce any law that interferes with a state’s implementation of its own medical marijuana laws. The rider is known as the “Rohrbacher-Farr” Amendment after its original lead sponsors (it is also sometimes referred to as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment or the Joyce-Leahy Amendment). In 2021, President Biden proposed a budget with the Rohrbacher-Farr amendment included. The amendment has been renewed numerous times since then, and is currently effective through September 2023.
Though there is no guarantee the Presidency of Joe Biden or a future administration will not change relevant federal policy, as a practical matter, the legal marijuana industry has not seen a material change in federal enforcement activities since rescission of the Cole Memo. In testimony given on March 1, 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated that the Department of Justice policy on marijuana policy will be consistent with Cole Memo policy. Regardless, it is possible existing appropriation rider protection and existing prosecutorial discretion not to enforce federal drug laws against state-legal marijuana business could change at any time.
Finally, revenue from our marijuana operations is subject to Section 280E of the Code. Section 280E of the Code prohibits marijuana businesses from deducting ordinary and necessary business expenses, resulting in a materially higher effective federal income tax rate than businesses in other industries. Therefore, businesses in the legal cannabis industry may be less profitable than they would otherwise be in a different industry.
Industrial Hemp
In December 2018, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (“the Farm Bill”) became law in the U.S. Under the Farm Bill, industrial and commercial hemp is no longer to be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S. Hemp includes the plant cannabis sativa L and any part of that plant, including seeds, derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids and isomers. To qualify under the Farm Bill, hemp must contain no more than 0.3 % of delta-9-THC. The Farm Bill explicitly allows interstate commerce of hemp which will enable the transportation and shipment of hemp across state lines, thus, the Farm Bill fundamentally changed how hemp and hemp-derived products (such as those containing CBD extracted from hemp) are regulated in the U.S.
State Regulatory Environment
The following sections describe the legal and regulatory landscape in states where our subsidiaries currently operate or intend to operate in the near-term future. While we actively work to ensure all of our operations are fully compliant with applicable state and local laws, rules, regulations, licensing requirements, ordinances and other applicable governing authority, the rules and regulations as outlined below are not a comprehensive representation of all the rules that we and our subsidiaries are required to follow in each applicable state. There are significant risks associated with our business and readers are strongly encouraged to carefully review and consider all of the risks set forth and described herein.
Common State Law Requirements
Although each state has its own laws and regulations regarding the operation of cannabis businesses, certain of the laws and regulations are consistent across jurisdictions. For example, to operate legally under state laws, marijuana businesses must typically obtain a license from the state. In some states, local marijuana-specific approvals are also required. In these jurisdictions, local governments may be authorized to prohibit or otherwise impose material restrictions on cannabis operations, including by proscribing rules limiting the type(s) and/or number of license(s) allowed (such authority is in addition to ordinary and customary building, fire and land use regulatory control). In many cases, securing local approval(s) is a prerequisite to state issuance of a full or unconditional license. Further, only cannabis grown or manufactured within the state can be sold in such state.
License application and renewal processes are unique to each state, and as applicable, each locality. However, generally each state’s application process requires a comprehensive criminal history disclosure of key individuals (such as major shareholders, directors, officers, certain managers and other individuals to the extent they are known at the time of application (Key Individuals)), and as to the applicant entity (and often its affiliates) and such Key Individuals, marijuana
licensing and compliance history, financial and personal disclosures, detailed operating plans, facility information (often including drawings and plans), security-related plans, an affirmative obligation to report changes to or deviations from information set forth in the application, and other information designed to ensure only reputable, law-abiding individuals and entities ready, willing and able to operate in compliance with applicable state laws, rules and regulations are awarded marijuana licenses.
Applicants for marijuana licenses are commonly required to submit standard operating procedures (“SOPs”) describing how the proposed business will secure its facility(ies), manage inventory, comply with inventory tracking requirements and other reporting obligations, effectuate safe marijuana transactions, handle waste, train employees, implement quality control measures, and perform other tasks necessary and appropriate to operate in a safe, secure, and compliant manner. SOPs submitted as part of licensing applications are typically reviewed, evaluated and ultimately approved by regulators, and must generally remain in force and effect after issuance of a license. Any material change to SOPs requires prior written regulatory approval in nearly all cases. Finally, marijuana operations are continuously subject to inspection, with or without notice, by cannabis regulators and certain authorized law enforcement agencies.
California
California Licenses
In California, State and local medical and adult-use cannabis business licenses are renewed annually. Each year, licensees are required to submit a renewal application per guidelines published by the Department of Cannabis Control (“the DCC”), which is the successor regulator to the Bureau of Cannabis Control. While renewals are annual, there is no limit to the number of renewals a licensee may obtain. Assuming requisite renewal fees are paid, renewal applications are submitted in a timely manner, and the establishment has not been cited for material violations, renewal applicants can anticipate approval in the ordinary course of business. However, any unexpected denials, delays or costs associated with a licensing renewal could impede planned operations and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
We currently hold three (3) medical and adult-use cannabis business licenses to operate dispensaries in Santa Barbara, California, Palm Springs, California and Grover Beach, California. Our dispensaries located in Santa Barbara and Grover Beach are currently operational. Our Palm Springs dispensary’s operations, which were voluntarily suspended while the store underwent a significant renovation, resumed operations in the third quarter of 2022. In addition, one of our subsidiaries entered into a long-term lease agreement for a bespoke, ground-up build in Culver City, California. We also received approval to move forward in the merit-based application process as one of three selected applicants for a storefront retail (and ancillary delivery) permit in Culver City, California.
License and Regulations
Adult-use retailer licenses permit the sale of cannabis and cannabis products to any individual age 21 years of age or older who does not possess a physician’s recommendation. Thus, should a subsidiary be awarded a license, it will be authorized to sell cannabis and cannabis products to adults over the age of 21 subject to customer presentation of a valid government-issued photo ID. As with all state-legal marijuana programs, only cannabis grown in California can be sold in California and retail licensees may only sell cannabis products procured from a duly licensed distributor or licensed microbusiness authorized to engage in distribution. All cannabis products are subject to appropriate laboratory testing, packaging, labeling, and tracking requirements. Upon receipt, licensed retailers must confirm cannabis products have not expired, are properly packaged and bear batch numbers which correspond with tracking and laboratory analysis documentation. Cannabis and cannabis products may only be displayed for inspection and sale on the sales floor of the facility, and may only be removed from packaging for customer inspection if placed in a proper container provided by the licensee and not readily accessible without the assistance of licensee staff (who must remain with the customer throughout such inspection). Any cannabis product displayed or inspected in this manner must be destroyed following inspection or when no longer being used for display purposes and may not be sold or consumed. Retailers may only provide free cannabis
products under certain, very limited circumstances and may not sell other goods, with the exception of cannabis accessories and branded merchandise.
Medicinal retailer licenses permit the sale of medicinal cannabis and cannabis products for use pursuant to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, found at Section 11362.5 of the California Health and Safety Code, by a medicinal cannabis patient in California who possesses a physician’s recommendation. Only certified physicians may provide medicinal marijuana recommendations. We maintain an open, transparent and collaborative relationship with the DCC and local-level cannabis regulators.
Reporting Requirements
The State of California uses Metrc LLC’s METRC solution (“METRC”) as the state’s track-and-trace (T&T) system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movement along the legal supply chain. The system allows for other third-party system integration via application programming interface.
Operating Procedure Requirements
Licensing applicants must submit SOPs describing how the operator will, among other requirements, secure the facility, manage inventory, comply with seed-to-sale requirements, dispense cannabis, and handle waste. Once an SOP is approved by the governing regulating body(ies), licensees must provide their employees with SOP training and seek written approval from governing regulating bodies before materially changing their SOPs.
Storage and Security
To ensure the safety and security of cannabis facilities and operations, the DCC requires licensees to:
1.Maintain a fully operational security alarm system;
2.Contract for security guard services;
3.Maintain a video surveillance system that records continuously 24 hours a day;
4.Ensure adequate lighting is installed and maintained on and about licensed facilities;
5.Only transact business during authorized hours of operations;
6.Store cannabis and cannabis product only in areas identified for such purposes on drawings submitted to and approved by the State of California in connection with licensing;
7.Store all cannabis and cannabis products in a secured, locked room or a vault;
8.Report to local law enforcement within 24 hours after being notified or becoming aware of the theft, diversion, or loss of cannabis; and
9.To the extent applicable based on a licensee’s authorized scope of operations, ensure the safe transport of cannabis and cannabis products between licensed facilities, maintain a delivery manifest in any vehicle transporting cannabis and cannabis products. Only vehicles registered with the DCC, that meet DCC distribution requirements, are to be used to transport cannabis and cannabis products.
In addition to DCC storage and security requirements, local jurisdictions may have additional storage and security requirements. Such requirements, to the extent they exist, may vary from one locality to another.
Site-Visits & Inspections
The DCC and its authorized representatives have broad authority, with or without notice, to inspect licensed cannabis operations, including premises, facilities, equipment, books and records (which may be copied, and such copies retained), and cannabis products. Failure to grant DCC representatives full and immediate access to facilities, property, and premises, and to cooperate with inspections and investigations may result in disciplinary action. Laws and regulations enacted by many local jurisdictions grant local cannabis governing bodies and law enforcement agencies similar inspection authority.
We are in compliance with the laws of the State of California and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no current incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation which are outstanding which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the State of California. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like most businesses, we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including the State of California, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including the State of California. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Illinois
Illinois Regulatory Landscape
In January 2014, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, which allows individuals diagnosed with certain debilitating or “qualified” medical conditions to access medical marijuana, became effective. There are over 35 qualifying conditions as part of the medical program, including epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In January 2019, the Illinois Department of Health launched the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program, that allows individuals who have/could receive a prescription for opioids to access medical marijuana.
In June 2019, Illinois legalized adult-use marijuana pursuant to the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (the IL Act). Effective January 1, 2020, Illinois residents 21 years of age and older may possess up to 30 grams of marijuana (non-residents may possess up to 15 grams). Existing medical dispensaries were able to apply for an “Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License” to serve adult users at an existing medical dispensary or at a secondary site. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) has granted approximately 48 Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization licenses to date. The IL Act further authorized the IDFPR to issue up to 75 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization licenses before May 2020 and an additional 110 conditional licenses during 2021 (no person may hold a financial interest in more than 10 dispensing organizations); due to procedural delays related to litigation against the State of Illinois to which we are not currently a party to, conditional licenses began being issued in 2021 and 192 have been issued to-date. Conditional licenses from this round of applications have been awarded. In December 2022, Governor Pritzker’s administration announced another 55 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization licenses to be awarded via a lottery to take place in 2023, for which applicants must be qualified as social equity criteria as mandated by the state.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (“the IL Ag. Department”) is authorized to make up to 30 cultivation center licenses available between the state’s medical and adult-use programs. As with existing medical dispensaries, existing cultivation centers were able to apply for an “Early Approval Adult Use Cultivation Center License.” The IL Ag. Department has issued approximately 21 Early Approval Adult Use Cultivation Centers to date. No person can hold a financial interest in more than three cultivation centers, and the centers are limited to 210,000 sq. ft. of canopy space. Cultivation centers are also prohibited from discriminating in price when selling to dispensaries, craft growers, or infuser organizations. The IL Ag. Department was also permitted to license up to 40 craft growers and 40 infuser organizations by July 2020 (license awards have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and another 60 of each license type by the end of 2021; however, the remaining 60 craft grower license awards were delayed until 2022 due to procedural delays related to litigation against the State of Illinois to which we are not currently a party to. The IL Ag. Department closed the application period for craft growers, infusers, and cannabis transporters in March 2020.
The IL Act imposes several operational requirements on adult-use licensees and requires prospective licensees to demonstrate their plans to comply with such requirements. For example, applicants for dispensary licenses must include an employee training plan, a security plan, recordkeeping and inventory plans, a quality control plan, and an operating plan. Applicants for craft growers must similarly submit a facility plan, an employee training plan, a security plan, a record keeping plan, a cultivation plan, a product safety and labeling plan, a business plan, an environmental plan, and more.
Licensees must establish methods for identifying, recording, and reporting diversion, theft, or loss, correcting inventory errors, and complying with product recalls. Licensees also must comply with detailed inventory, storage, and security requirements. Cultivation licenses are subject to similar operational requirements, such as complying with detailed security and storage requirements, and must also establish plans to address energy, water, and waste-management needs. Dispensary licenses will be renewed bi-annually, and cultivation licenses, craft grower licenses, infuser organization licenses, and transporter licenses will be renewed annually.
The IL Ag. Department is authorized to promulgate, and has promulgated, regulations for cultivators, craft growers, infuser organizations, and transporting organizations. The IDFPR is authorized to regulate dispensaries but has not yet issued adult-use regulations. Therefore, currently licensed adult-use retail operations are governed by the IL Act and adult-use retail applications submitted during the application window, which closed in January 2020, will be evaluated under and in accordance with the IL Act.
We, through our subsidiaries in the State of Illinois, are in compliance with applicable licensing requirements in the State of Illinois.
To the knowledge of management, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action specific to the State of Illinois. For more information on federal enforcement and the risks associated with the U.S. cannabis regulatory environment generally, see without limitation, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment.”
Illinois Licenses
As of the date of this Form 10-K, we operate four adult-use (with two co-located medical) cannabis dispensaries in the State of Illinois, located in or around the cities of Sauget, Normal and Bloomington. All four dispensaries are operated under our BEYOND HELLO™ brand.
In August 2021, Jushi’s partner Northern Cardinal Ventures, LLC was selected to receive a Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization license in Illinois via the state’s lottery process. The dispensary location is designated for the Peoria Bureau of Labor Statistics region in Illinois and will be BEYOND HELLO’s fifth location in the state. After delays due to an injunction pursuant to litigation against the State of Illinois of which neither Northern Cardinal Ventures, LLC nor Jushi is a party to, in July 2022, Northern Cardinal Ventures, LLC received its Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization license, and has received local approvals necessary to proceed with its Adult Use Dispensing Organization license.
All medical and adult-use dispensing organizations licensed by IDFPR hold registration certificates valid for a period of one year and subject to annual or biannual renewals after required fees are paid and the organization remains in good standing. Renewals are generally communicated by IDFPR within 90 days of a license's expiration through email and include a renewal form. Provided that the requisite renewal fees are paid, the renewal application is submitted in a timely manner, and there are no material violations noted against the applicable license, Beyond Hello IL, LLC (“BHIL”) would expect to receive the applicable renewed license in the ordinary course of business. Any unexpected delays or costs associated with the licensing renewal process could impede the ongoing or planned operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
License and Regulations
Medical marijuana retail dispensary licenses permit BHIL to purchase cannabis and cannabis products from licensed cultivation/processing facilities and to sell cannabis and cannabis products to registered patients. The adult-use dispensing organization license permits BHIL to acquire cannabis from a licensed cultivation center, craft grower, processing organization, or another dispensary and to sell cannabis and cannabis products (and limited other items) to adult-use purchasers, registered medical cannabis patients and registered caregivers.
BHIL must operate in accordance with the representations made in its license application materials, unless otherwise approved by the IDFPR. It must include its name on the packaging of any cannabis product it sells. All medical products must be obtained from an Illinois registered medical cultivation center, while all adult-use products must be obtained from a licensed adult-use cultivation center, craft grower, processing organization, or another dispensary. BHIL must inspect and document (e.g., through the State of Illinois tracking system and in accordance with SOPs) all cannabis and cannabis products it acquires for resale. Any cannabis or cannabis products not properly packaged, labeled or inconsistent with State of Illinois tracking records must be rejected at the time of delivery. At all times, dispensing facilities must remain in compliance with all applicable building, fire, safety and land use laws, rules and regulations, and may not operate a drive through window or offer delivery services. BHIL may only operate during state regulated approved hours (6 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily) and must ensure two or more employees are present during all operating hours.
Each dispensary must submit a list of all third-party vendors to the IDFPR and identify all service professionals that will work at the dispensary by name and set forth a description of the services such person will provide. No service professional may work in the dispensary until his or her name is provided to IDFPR and appears on the facility’s service professional list.
BHIL may not produce or manufacture cannabis or cannabis products and may not permit on-site consumption at its facilities. BHIL may only sell cannabis or cannabis products to consumers who present a valid medical cannabis registration identification card or valid government-issued photo identification (ID) evidencing the customer is 21 years of age or older. BHIL must deal with all suppliers on the same terms and may not enter into an exclusive agreement with any supplier. Further, BHIL may not contract with, pay, or have a profit-sharing arrangement with third party groups involved in assisting individuals with finding a physician or completing the patient or participant application; nor may it pay a referral fee to a third-party group for sending it patients or participants. No more than 40% of its adult-use inventory may originate from a single supplier. Dispensing organizations are subject to inspections, with or without notice. Licensees are required to cooperate with such inspections and must make all records, plans, logs, reports and other operational documents available for inspection and copying upon request.
Craft grower licensees are authorized to cultivate cannabis and manufacture cannabis products (including cannabis infused products), and to sell cannabis and cannabis products to licensed adult-use dispensing organizations or for use at licensed manufacturers. Transportation licensees are authorized to transport cannabis and cannabis products between licensed cannabis facilities.
Reporting Requirements
The State of Illinois uses BioTrack THC as its inventory tracking system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movement along the legal supply chain. The system allows for other third-party system integration via application programming interface
Storage and Security
BHIL dispensaries must store inventory on-site in a secured and restricted-access area and enter information into the State of Illinois’ tracking system as required by Illinois law and IDFPR rules. Any cannabis or cannabis products in an open or defective package, which have expired, or which we otherwise have reason to believe have been opened or tampered with must be segregated in secure storage until promptly and properly disposed of.
Dispensing facilities are also required to implement security measures designed to deter and prevent unauthorized entry into the facility (and restricted-access areas) and theft, loss or diversion of cannabis or cannabis products. In this respect, dispensing facilities must maintain a commercial grade alarm and surveillance system installed by an Illinois licensed private alarm contractor or private alarm contractor agency. BHIL must also implement various security measures, as required by law, rule regulation or SOPs, designed to protect the premises, customers and dispensing organization agents (employees).
Transportation Requirements
Currently, licensed cultivation centers may transport cannabis and cannabis products in accordance with certain guidelines; however, from July 2020 cultivation centers are prohibited from transporting adult-use cannabis without obtaining a separate transporting organization license beginning, provided that such prohibition was and remains suspended pursuant to Executive Order 2020-45. For medical marijuana, dispensing organizations must receive a copy of the shipping manifest prepared by the cultivation center in advance of transport and is required to check the product delivered against such manifest at the time of delivery. All cannabis and cannabis products must be packaged in properly labeled and sealed containers and may not be accepted by a dispensary recipient if packaging is damaged or labels are missing, damaged or tampered with.
We are in compliance with the laws of the State of Illinois and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no current incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the State of Illinois. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including the State of Illinois, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including the State of Illinois. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Regulatory Landscape
Cannabis for medical use was legalized in Massachusetts by voter approval of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative in 2012. The law took effect on January 1, 2013, eliminating criminal and civil penalties for the possession and use of up to a 60-day or ten (10) ounce supply of marijuana for medical use for patients possessing a State-issued registration card. In November 2016, Massachusetts voters approved Question 4 or the Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Initiative, which allowed for recreational or “adult-use” cannabis in Massachusetts. In July 2017, the Cannabis Control Commission (“the CCC”) was established under Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2017 to implement and administer laws enabling access to medical and adult-use cannabis. The Commission was appointed in September 2017, and in November 2018, the CCC issued the first notices for retail marijuana establishments to commence adult-use operations in Massachusetts. Under the current law, there are no State-wide limits on the total number of licenses issued; however, no individual or entity shall be an owner or a controlling person over more than three licenses in a particular class of license. Similarly, no individual, corporation or other entity shall be an owner or in a position to control the decision making of more than three licenses in a particular class of license. In addition, all marijuana establishments are required to enter into host community agreements with the municipality in which they are located.
Massachusetts Licenses
Through an affiliate we acquired the licenses previously held by Nature’s Remedy, which include one (1) final adult-use cultivation license, one (1) final adult-use product manufacturer license and two (2) final adult-use retailer licenses in Massachusetts. Nature’s Remedy also holds one (1) provisional license for adult-use cultivation. Furthermore, Nature’s Remedy held one (1) medical license that permits vertically-integrated operations including the ability to maintain one (1) medical marijuana dispensary in Massachusetts. Under the terms of the adult-use marijuana cultivator license, the licensee may cultivate, process and package marijuana, and transfer marijuana products to marijuana establishments, but not to consumers. An adult-use marijuana product manufacturer is an entity authorized to obtain, manufacture, process and package marijuana and marijuana products, to transfer marijuana and marijuana products to marijuana establishments, but not to consumers. An adult-use marijuana retailer is an entity authorized to purchase, repackage, white label, and transport marijuana and marijuana products from marijuana establishments and transfer marijuana and marijuana products to marijuana establishments and to sell to consumers. The medical marijuana treatment center (“MTC”) licenses are vertically integrated and permit a licensee to cultivate, manufacture, process, package, transport, deliver, sell, and
purchase marijuana pursuant to the terms of the medical licenses. Massachusetts does not issue a single vertically integrated adult-use license like the MTC license. License types for adult-use are individual for each function and a licensee may pursue multiple license types. Because marijuana is not federally legal, a licensee can sell only cannabis that is grown and manufactured in Massachusetts. An adult-use marijuana retailer provides a retail location which may be accessed by consumers 21 years of age or older or, if the retailer is co-located with an MTC, by individuals who are registered qualifying patients with the Medical Use of Marijuana Program with a registration card. In order for a customer to be dispensed marijuana, they must present a valid government issued photo ID immediately upon entry of the retail facility. If the individual is younger than 21 years old but 18 years of age or older, he or she shall not be admitted unless he or she produces an active medical registration card issued by the CCC. If the individual is younger than 18 years old, he or she shall not be admitted unless he or she produces an active medical registration card and is accompanied by a personal caregiver with an active medical registration card. In addition to the medical registration card, registered qualifying patients 18 years of age and older and personal caregivers must also produce proof of identification. Each recreational customer may be dispensed no more than one ounce of marijuana or five grams of marijuana concentrate per transaction as outlined in 935 CMR 500.140(3)(a)(1). Medical patients may be dispensed up to a 60- day supply of marijuana, or the equivalent amount of marijuana in marijuana infused products, that a registered qualifying patient would reasonably be expected to need over a period of 60 calendar days for his or her personal medical use, which is ten ounces, subject to 935 CMR 501.140(3)(a). Allowable forms of marijuana in Massachusetts include smokable dried flower, dried flower for vaporizing, cannabis derivative products (i.e., vape pens, gel caps, tinctures, etc.) and medical cannabis-infused products, including edibles.
Reporting Requirements
The CCC uses METRC as its T&T system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movement across the distribution chain. The system allows for other third-party system integration via application programming interface.
Medical Cannabis Regulations
Massachusetts has authorized the cultivation, possession and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes by certain licensed Massachusetts marijuana businesses. The Medical Use of Marijuana Program (“the MUMP”) registers qualifying patients, personal caregivers, MTCs, and MTC agents. MTCs were formerly known as Registered Marijuana Dispensaries (“RMD”). The MUMP was established by Chapter 369 of the Acts of 2012, “An Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana”, following the passage of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative, Ballot Question 3, in the 2012 general election. Additional statutory requirements governing the MUMP were enacted by the Legislature in 2017 and codified at G.L. c. 94I, et. seq. (referred to herein as the Massachusetts Medical Act). MTC Certificates of Registration are vertically integrated licenses in that each MTC Certificate of Registration entitles a license holder to one cultivation facility, one processing facility and one dispensary locations. There is a limit of three MTC licenses per person/entity. The CCC regulations, 935 CMR 501.000 et seq. (referred to herein as the Massachusetts Medical Regulations), provide a regulatory framework that requires MTCs to cultivate, process, transport and dispense medical cannabis in a vertically integrated marketplace. Patients with debilitating medical conditions qualify to participate in the program, including conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency virus (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis when such diseases are debilitating, and other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s healthcare provider. The CCC assumed control of the MUMP from the Department of Public Health in December 2018. The CCC approved revised regulations for the MUMP in November 2020, which are now effective.
Medical Cannabis Licensing Requirements
The Massachusetts Medical Regulations delineate the licensing requirements for MTCs in Massachusetts. Licensed entities must demonstrate the following: (i) they are licensed and in good standing with the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Revenue and Department of Unemployment Assistance; (ii) no executive, member or any entity owned or controlled by such executive or member directly or indirectly controls more than three MTC licenses; (iii) an MTC may not cultivate medical cannabis from more than two locations statewide; (iv) MTC agents must be registered with the CCC; (v) an MTC must have a program to provide reduced cost or free marijuana to patients with
documented verifiable financial hardships; (vi) one executive of an MTC must register with the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services on behalf of the entity as an organization user of the Criminal Offender Record Information system; (vii) the MTC applicant has at least $500,000 in its control as evidenced by bank statements, lines of credit or equivalent; and (viii) payment of the required application fee.
In an MTC application, an applicant must also demonstrate or include: (i) the name, address, date of birth and resumes of each executive of the applicant and of the members of the entity; (ii) a plan to obtain liability insurance coverage in compliance with statutes; (iii) a detailed summary of the business plan for the MTC; (iv) an operational plan for the cultivation of marijuana including a detailed summary of policies and procedures; and (v) a detailed summary of the operating policies and procedures for the MTC including security, prevention of diversion, storage of marijuana, transportation of marijuana, inventory procedures, procedures for quality control and testing of product for potential contaminants, procedures for maintaining confidentiality as required by law, personnel policies, dispensing procedures, record keeping procedures, plans for patient education and any plans for patient or personal caregiver home delivery. An MTC applicant must also demonstrate that it has: (i) a successful track record of running a business; (ii) a history of providing healthcare services or services providing marijuana for medical purposes in or outside of Massachusetts; (iii) proof of compliance with the laws of Massachusetts; (iv) complied with the laws and orders of Massachusetts; and (v) a satisfactory criminal and civil background. Finally, an MTC applicant must specify a cultivation tier for their license, which establishes the minimum and maximum square footage of canopy for their cultivation operation.
Upon the determination by the CCC that an MTC applicant has responded to the application requirements in a satisfactory fashion, the MTC applicant is required to pay the applicable registration fee and shall be issued a Provisional MTC license and, following completion of certain regulatory requirements, a Final MTC license.
After receipt of a Provisional MTC license, the CCC shall review architectural plans for the building of the MTC’s cultivation facility and/or dispensing facilities, and shall either approve, modify or deny the same. Once approved, the MTC provisional license holder shall construct its facilities in conformance with the requirements of the Massachusetts Medical Regulations. Once the CCC completes its inspections and issues approval for an MTC of its facilities, the CCC shall issue a Final MTC License to the MTC applicant. Final MTC Licenses are valid for one year, and shall be renewed by filing the required renewal application no later than sixty days prior to the expiration of the certificate of registration. A licensee may not begin cultivating marijuana until it has been issued a Final MTC License by the CCC.
MTC Licenses in Massachusetts are renewed annually. Before expiry, licensees are required to submit a renewal application. While renewals are granted annually, there is no ultimate expiry after which no renewals are permitted. Additionally, in respect of the renewal process, provided that the requisite renewal fees are paid, the renewal application is submitted in a timely manner, and there are no material violations noted against the applicable license, we would expect to receive the applicable renewed licenses in the ordinary course of business.
Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Dispensary Operational Requirements
An MTC shall follow its written and approved operation procedures in the operation of its dispensary locations. Operating procedures shall include (i) security measures in compliance with the Massachusetts Medical Regulations; (ii) employee security policies including personal safety and crime prevention techniques; (iii) hours of operation and after-hours contact information; (iv) a price list for marijuana; (v) storage and waste disposal protocols in compliance with state law; (vi) a description of the various strains of marijuana that will be cultivated and dispensed, and the forms that will be dispensed; (vii) procedures to ensure accurate recordkeeping including inventory protocols; (viii) plans for quality control; (ix) a staffing plan and staffing records; (x) diversion identification and reporting protocols; and (xi) policies and procedures for the handling of cash on MTC premises including storage, collection frequency and transport to financial institutions. The siting of dispensary locations is expressly subject to local/municipal approvals pursuant to state law, and municipalities control the permitting application process that an MTC must comply with. More specifically, an MTC is to comply with all local requirements regarding siting, provided however that if no local requirements exist, an MTC shall not be sited within a radius of 500 feet of a school, daycare center, or any facility in which children commonly congregate. The 500-foot distance under this section is measured in a straight line from the nearest point of the facility in question to
the nearest point of the proposed MTC. The Massachusetts Medical Regulations require that MTCs limit their inventory of seeds, plants, and useable marijuana to reflect the projected needs of registered qualifying patients. An MTC may only dispense to a registered qualifying patient or caregiver who has a current valid certification.
Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Security and Storage Requirements
An MTC is to implement sufficient security measures to deter and prevent unauthorized entrance into areas containing marijuana and theft of marijuana at the MTC. These measures must include: (i) allowing only registered qualifying patients, caregivers, dispensary agents, authorized persons, or approved outside contractors access to the MTC facility; (ii) preventing individuals from remaining on the premises of an MTC if they are not engaging in activities that are permitted; (iii) disposing of marijuana or by-products in compliance with law; (iv) establishing limited access areas accessible only to authorized personnel; (v) storing finished marijuana in a secure locked safe or vault; (vi) keeping equipment, safes, vaults or secured areas securely locked; (vii) ensuring that the outside perimeter of the MTC is sufficiently lit to facilitate surveillance; and (viii) ensuring that landscaping or foliage outside of the RMD does not allow a person to conceal themselves. An MTC shall also utilize a security/alarm system that: (i) monitors entry and exit points and windows and doors, (ii) includes a panic/duress alarm, (iii) includes system failure notifications, (iv) includes 24-hour video surveillance of safes, vaults, sales areas, areas where marijuana is cultivated, processed or dispensed, and (v) includes date and time stamping of all records and the ability to produce a clear, color still photo. The video surveillance system shall have the capacity to remain operational during a power outage. The MTC must also maintain a backup alarm system with the capabilities of the primary system, and both systems are to be maintained in good working order and are to be inspected and tested on regular intervals.
Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Transportation Requirements
Marijuana or marijuana-infused products (MIPs) may be transported between licensed MTCs by MTC agents on behalf of an MTC. MTCs or deliver-only retailers may, with CCC approval, transport marijuana or MIPS directly to registered qualifying patients and caregivers as part of a home delivery program. An MTC shall staff transport vehicles with a minimum of two dispensary agents. At least one agent shall remain with the vehicle when the vehicle contains marijuana or MIPs. Prior to leaving the origination location, an MTC must weigh, inventory, and account for, on video, the marijuana to be transported.
Marijuana must be packaged in sealed, labeled, and tamper-proof packaging prior to and during transportation. In the case of an emergency stop, a log must be maintained describing the reason for the stop, the duration, the location, and any activities of personnel exiting the vehicle. An MTC shall ensure that delivery times and routes are randomized. Each MTC agent shall carry his or her CCC-issued MUMP ID Card when transporting marijuana or MIPs and shall produce it to CCC representatives or law enforcement officials upon request. Where videotaping is required when weighing, inventorying, and accounting of marijuana before transportation or after receipt, the video must show each product being weighed, the weight, and the manifest. An MTC must document and report any unusual discrepancy in weight or inventory to the CCC and local law enforcement within 24 hours. An MTC shall report to the CCC and local law enforcement any vehicle accidents, diversions, losses, or other reportable incidents that occur during transport, within 24 hours. An MTC shall retain transportation manifests for no less than one year and make them available to the CCC upon request. Any cash received from a qualifying patient or personal caregiver must be transported to an MTC immediately upon completion of the scheduled deliveries. Vehicles used in transportation must be owned, leased or rented by the MTC, properly registered, and contain a GPS system that is monitored by the MTC during transport of marijuana and said vehicle must be inspected and approved by the CCC prior to use.
During transit, an MTC is to ensure that: (i) marijuana or MIPs are transported in a secure, locked storage compartment that is part of the vehicle transporting the marijuana or MIPs; (ii) the storage compartment cannot be easily removed (for example, bolts, fittings, straps or other types of fasteners may not be easily accessible and not capable of being manipulated with commonly available tools); (iii) marijuana or MIPs are not visible from outside the vehicle; and (iv) the product is transported in a vehicle that bears no markings indicating that the vehicle is being used to transport marijuana
or MIPs and does not indicate the name of the MTC. Each MTC agent transporting marijuana or MIPs shall have access to a secure form of communication with personnel at the origination location when the vehicle contains marijuana or MIPs.
Massachusetts Adult-Use Cannabis Licensing Requirements
Many of the same application requirements exist for an adult-use marijuana establishment license application as to those for a medical MTC application, and each owner, officer or member must undergo background checks and fingerprinting with the CCC. Applicants must submit the location and identification of each site, and must establish a property interest in the same, and the applicant and the local municipality must have entered into a host agreement authorizing the location of the adult-use marijuana establishment within the municipality, and said agreement must be included in the application. Applicants must include disclosure of any regulatory actions against it by Massachusetts, as well as the civil and criminal history of the applicant and its owners, officers, principals or members. The application must include, amongst other information, the proposed timeline for achieving operations, liability insurance, a business plan, and a detailed summary describing the marijuana establishment’s proposed operating policies including security, prevention of diversion, storage, transportation, inventory procedures, quality control, dispensing procedures, personnel policies, record keeping, maintenance of financial records, diversity plans, and employee training protocols.
Massachusetts Adult-Use Cannabis Dispensary Operational Requirements
Marijuana retailers are subject to certain operational requirements in addition to those imposed on marijuana establishments generally. Dispensaries must immediately inspect patrons’ identification to ensure that everyone who enters is at least 21 years of age. Dispensaries may not dispense more than one ounce of marijuana or five grams of marijuana concentrate per transaction. Point-of-sale systems must be approved by the CCC, and retailers must record sales data. Records must be retained and available for auditing by the CCC and the Secretary of Massachusetts, Department of Revenue and Department of Unemployment Assistance. Retailers are required to conduct monthly analyses of equipment and sales data to determine that such systems have not been altered or interfered with to manipulate sales data, and to report any such discrepancies to the CCC.
Dispensaries must also make consumer education materials available to patrons in languages designated by the CCC, with analogous materials for visually- and hearing-impaired persons. Such materials must include:
1.A warning that marijuana has not been analyzed or approved by the FDA, that there is limited information on side effects, that there may be health risks associated with using marijuana, and that it should be kept away from children;
2.A warning that when under the influence of marijuana, driving is prohibited and machinery should not be operated;
3.Information to assist in the selection of marijuana, describing the potential differing effects of various strains of marijuana, as well as various forms and routes of administration;
4.Materials offered to consumers to enable them to track the strains used and their associated effects;
5.Information describing proper dosage and titration for different routes of administration, with an emphasis on using the smallest amount possible to achieve the desired effect;
6.A discussion of tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal;
7.Facts regarding substance abuse signs and symptoms, as well as referral information for substance abuse treatment programs;
8.A statement that consumers may not sell marijuana to any other individual;
9.Information regarding penalties for possession or distribution of marijuana in violation of Massachusetts law; and
10.Any other information required by the CCC.
Massachusetts Adult-Use Cannabis Security and Storage Requirements
Each marijuana establishment must implement sufficient safety measures to deter and prevent unauthorized entrance into areas containing marijuana and theft of marijuana at the establishment. Security measures taken by the establishments to protect the premises, employees, consumers and general public shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1.Positively identifying and limiting access to individuals 21 years of age or older who are seeking access to the marijuana establishment or to whom marijuana products are being transported;
2.Adopting procedures to prevent loitering and ensure that only individuals engaging in activity expressly or by necessary implication are allowed to remain on the premises;
3.Proper disposal of marijuana in accordance with applicable regulations;
4.Securing all entrances to the marijuana establishment to prevent unauthorized access;
5.Establishing limited access areas which shall be accessible only to specifically authorized personnel limited to include only the minimum number of employees essential for efficient operation;
6.Storing all finished marijuana products in a secure, locked safe or vault in such a manner as to prevent diversion, theft or loss;
7.Keeping all safes, vaults, and any other equipment or areas used for the production, cultivation, harvesting, processing or storage, including prior to disposal, of marijuana or marijuana products securely locked and protected from entry, except for the actual time required to remove or replace marijuana;
8.Keeping all locks and security equipment in good working order;
9.Prohibiting keys, if any, from being left in the locks or stored or placed in a location accessible to persons other than specifically authorized personnel;
10.Prohibiting accessibility of security measures, such as combination numbers, passwords or electronic or biometric security systems, to persons other than specifically authorized personnel;
11.Ensuring that the outside perimeter of the marijuana establishment is sufficiently lit to facilitate surveillance, where applicable;
12.Ensuring that all marijuana products are kept out of plain sight and are not visible from a public place, outside of the marijuana establishment, without the use of binoculars, optical aids or aircraft;
13.Developing emergency policies and procedures for securing all product following any instance of diversion, theft or loss of marijuana, and conduct an assessment to determine whether additional safeguards are necessary;
14.Establishing procedures for safe cash handling and cash transportation to financial institutions to prevent theft, loss and associated risks to the safety of employees, customers and the general public;
15.Sharing the marijuana establishment’s floor plan or layout of the facility with law enforcement authorities, and in a manner and scope as required by the municipality and identifying when the use of flammable or combustible solvents, chemicals or other materials are in use at the marijuana establishment;
16.Sharing the marijuana establishment’s security plan and procedures with law enforcement authorities, including police and fire services departments, in the municipality where the marijuana establishment is located and periodically updating law enforcement authorities, police and fire services departments, if the plans or procedures are modified in a material way; and
17.Marijuana must be stored in special limited access areas, and alarm systems must meet certain technical requirements, including the ability to record footage to be retained for at least 90 days.
Massachusetts Adult-Use Cannabis Transportation Requirements
Marijuana products may only be transported between licensed marijuana establishments by agents of registered marijuana establishments. A licensed marijuana transporter may contract with a marijuana establishment to transport that licensee’s marijuana products to other licensed establishments. All transported marijuana products are linked to the seed-to-sale tracking program. Any marijuana product that is undeliverable or is refused by the destination marijuana establishment shall be transported back to the originating establishment. All vehicles transporting marijuana products shall be staffed with a minimum of two marijuana establishment agents. At least one agent shall remain with the vehicle at all times that the vehicle contains marijuana or marijuana products. Prior to the products leaving a marijuana establishment, the originating marijuana establishment must weigh, inventory, and account for, on video, all marijuana products to be transported. Within eight hours after arrival at the receiving marijuana establishment, the receiving establishment must re-weigh, re-inventory, and account for, on video, all marijuana products transported. Marijuana products must be packaged in sealed, labeled, and tamper or child-resistant packaging prior to and during transportation. In the case of an emergency stop during the transportation of marijuana products, a log must be maintained describing the reason for the stop, the duration, the location, and any activities of personnel exiting the vehicle. A marijuana establishment or a marijuana
transporter transporting marijuana products is required to ensure that all transportation times and routes are randomized and remain within Massachusetts.
Vehicles must additionally be equipped with a video system that includes one or more cameras in the storage area of the vehicle and one or more cameras in the driver area of the vehicle. The video cameras must remain operational at all times during the transportation process and have the ability to produce a clear color still photo whether live or recorded, with a date and time stamp embedded and that does not significantly obscure the picture.
Vehicles used for transport must be owned or leased by the marijuana establishment or transporter, and they must be properly registered, inspected, and insured in Massachusetts. Marijuana may not be visible from outside the vehicle, and it must be transported in a secure, locked storage compartment. Each vehicle must have a global positioning system, and any agent transporting marijuana must have access to a secure form of communication with the originating location.
CCC Inspections
The CCC or its agents may inspect an MTC, marijuana establishment and their affiliated vehicles at any time without prior notice. An MTC or marijuana establishment shall immediately upon request make available to the CCC information that may be relevant to a CCC inspection, and the CCC may direct an MTC or marijuana establishment to test marijuana for contaminants. Any violations found will be noted in a deficiency statement that will be provided to the MTC or marijuana establishment, and the MTC or marijuana establishment shall thereafter submit a Plan of Correction to the CCC outlining with particularity each deficiency and the timetable and steps to remediate the same. The CCC shall have the authority to suspend or revoke a certificate of registration in accordance with the applicable regulations.
We are in compliance with the laws of Massachusetts and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the State of Massachusetts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including the State of Massachusetts, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including the State of Massachusetts. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Nevada
Nevada Regulatory Landscape
Medical marijuana use was legalized in Nevada by a ballot initiative in 2000. In November 2016, voters in Nevada passed an adult-use marijuana measure to allow for the sale of adult-use marijuana in the state. The first dispensaries to sell adult-use marijuana began sales in July 2017. The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (NV CCB) is the regulatory agency overseeing the medical and adult-use cannabis programs. Similar to California, cities and counties in Nevada are allowed to determine the number of local marijuana licenses they will issue.
To the knowledge of management, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action specific to the State of Nevada. For more information on federal enforcement and the risks associated with the U.S. cannabis regulatory environment generally, see without limitation, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment.”
Nevada Licenses
FBS NV holds medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation, processing and distribution licenses issued by the NV CCB and a hemp handler license issued by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NV DOA). Under applicable laws, licenses issued by the NV CCB or the NV DOA permit the applicable entities to cultivate, manufacture/process, package, sell or
purchase pursuant to the terms of the license, which is issued by the NV CCB under the provisions of Nevada Revised Statutes section 453A.
In March 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interest of an entity operating an adult-use and medical retail dispensary in Las Vegas, Nevada which has been rebranded to BEYOND HELLOTM. Additionally, in April 2022, we acquired NuLeaf, a Nevada-based vertically integrated operator. NuLeaf operates three adult-use and medical retail dispensaries in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in addition to a 27,000 sq. ft. cultivation facility in Sparks, Nevada, as well as a 13,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Reno, Nevada.
All marijuana establishments must register with the NV CCB. If applications contain all required information and after vetting by officers, establishments are issued a medical marijuana establishment registration certificate. In a local governmental jurisdiction that issues business licenses, the issuance by the NV CCB of a medical marijuana establishment registration certificate is considered provisional until the local government has issued a business license for operation and the establishment is in compliance with all applicable local governmental ordinances. Final registration certificates are valid for a period of one year and are subject to annual renewals after required fees are paid and the business remains in good standing. Renewal requests are typically communicated through email from the NV CCB and include a renewal form. The renewal periods serve as an update for the NV CCB on the licensee’s status toward active licensure. It is important to note that provisional licenses do not permit the operation of any commercial or medical cannabis activity. Only after a provisional licensee has gone through necessary state and local inspections, if applicable, and has received a final registration certificate from the NV CCB may an entity engage in cannabis business operation.
Any unexpected delays or costs associated with the licensing renewal process could impede the ongoing or planned operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
License and Regulations
Retail dispensary licenses and registration certificates permit a license holder to purchase marijuana from cultivation facilities, marijuana and marijuana products from product manufacturing facilities and marijuana from other retail stores and allows the sale of marijuana and marijuana products to consumers.
Medical cultivation licenses permit a license holder to acquire, possess, cultivate, deliver, transfer, have tested, transport, supply or sell marijuana and related supplies to medical marijuana dispensaries, facilities for the production of edible medical marijuana products and/or medical marijuana-infused products, or other medical marijuana cultivation facilities. One must have a final medical registration certificate in order to apply for adult-use status. Once so licensed, adult-use cultivators are authorized to perform the previously described for the adult-use market.
Medical product manufacturing licenses permit a license holder to acquire, possess, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, supply, or sell edible marijuana products or marijuana infused products to other medical marijuana production facilities or medical marijuana dispensaries. One must have a final medical registration certificate in order to apply for adult-use status. Once so licensed, adult-use cultivators are authorized to perform the previously described for the adult-use market.
Hemp handler licenses permit a license holder to handle raw industrial hemp, purchase hemp-derived constituents (such as hemp-derived CBD) from licensed hemp operators, and to infuse or manufacture products containing hemp-derived constituents.
Reporting Requirements
The State of Nevada uses METRC as its T&T system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movements along the legal supply chain. While METRC is interoperable with other third-party systems via application programming interface, only licensees have access to METRC itself.
Storage and Security
To ensure the safety and security of cannabis business premises and to maintain adequate controls against diversion, theft, and loss of cannabis and cannabis products, FBS NV and NuLeaf’s cultivation and processing facilities are required to do the following:
1.Maintain an enclosed, locked facility;
2.Have a single secure entrance;
3.Train employees in security measures and controls, emergency response protocol, confidentiality requirements, safe handling of equipment, procedures for handling products, as well as the differences in strains, methods of consumption, methods of cultivation, methods of fertilization and methods for health monitoring;
4.Implement and install, at a minimum, the following security equipment and practices to deter and prevent unauthorized entrances:
a.devices that detect unauthorized intrusion (which may include a signal system);
b.exterior lighting designed to facilitate surveillance;
c.electronic monitoring devices, further including (without limitation):
i.at least one call-up monitor that is at least 19 inches in size;
ii.a video printer that can immediately produce a clear still photo from any video camera image;
iii.video cameras with a recording resolution of at least 704 x 480 that full capture all of the building’s points of ingress and egress as well as all interior limited access areas such that such cameras capture and can identify any activity occurring in or adjacent to the building;
iv.a video camera at each point-of-sale location which allows for the identification of any person who holds a valid registry identification card, including, without limitation, a designated primary caregiver, purchasing medical marijuana;
v.a video camera in each grow room that can identify any activity occurring within the grow room in low light conditions;
vi.a method for storing video recordings from the video cameras for at least 30 calendar days;
vii.a failure notification system that provides an audible and visual notification of any failure in the electronic monitoring system;
viii.sufficient battery backup for video cameras and recording equipment to support at least five (5) minutes of recording in the event of a power outage; and
ix.a security alarm to alert local law enforcement of unauthorized breach of security; and
5.Implement security procedures that:
a.restrict access of the establishment to only those persons/employees authorized to be there;
b.deter and prevent theft;
c.provide identification (badge) for those persons/employees authorized to be in the establishment;
d.prevent loitering;
e.require and explain electronic monitoring; and
f.require and explain the use of automatic or electronic notifications to alert local law enforcement of any security breaches.
We are in compliance with the laws of Nevada and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the State of Nevada. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including the State of Nevada, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including the State of Nevada. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Ohio
Ohio Regulatory Landscape
House Bill 523 became effective in September 2016 and legalized medical marijuana in Ohio. The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP) allows people with certain medical conditions, upon the recommendation of an Ohio-licensed physician certified by the State Medical Board of Ohio, to purchase and use medical marijuana. House Bill 523 required that the framework for the MMCP would be in place no later than September 2018. This timeframe allowed for a deliberate process to ensure the safety of the public and to promote access to a safe product. Sales of medical marijuana in Ohio began in January 2019.
The following three state government agencies are responsible for the operation of the MMCP: (i) the Ohio Department of Commerce is responsible for overseeing medical marijuana cultivators, processors and testing laboratories; (ii) the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy is responsible for overseeing medical marijuana retail dispensaries, the registration of medical marijuana patients and caregivers, the approval of new forms of medical marijuana and coordinating the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee; and (iii) the State Medical Board of Ohio is responsible for certifying physicians to recommend medical marijuana and may add to the list of qualifying conditions for which medical marijuana can be recommended. Qualifying medical conditions for medical marijuana include: HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or other seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), pain (either chronic, severe, or intractable), Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, ulcerative colitis. In order for a patient to be eligible to obtain medical marijuana, a physician must make the diagnosis of one of these conditions. The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has published regulations for dispensaries, for the forms and methods for administering medical marijuana, and for patients and caregivers.
Several forms of medical marijuana are legal in Ohio, these include: inhalation of marijuana through a vaporizer (not direct smoking), oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles, patches and any other forms approved by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
To the knowledge of management, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action specific to the State of Ohio. For more information on federal enforcement and the risks associated with the U.S. cannabis regulatory environment generally, see without limitation, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment.”
Ohio Licenses
In June 2019, we entered into a management services agreement with FBS OH, a licensed medical marijuana processor in Ohio. In July 2021, the licensed medical marijuana processor received authorization to commence operation at the processing facility. We and the licensed medical marijuana processor have applied for a change of ownership to state regulators for the licensed medical marijuana processor to become a subsidiary of us. In August 2021, we closed on the acquisition of FBS OH.
In July 2021, we acquired OhiGrow, a licensed marijuana cultivator, inclusive of an approximately 10,000 sq. ft. cultivation facility and 1.35 acres of land.
In May 2022, we received a provisional dispensary license as part of the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy “RFA II” application process. Following completion of application requirements and regulatory inspection, we opened our first dispensary in the State of Ohio near Cincinnati in January 2023.
License and Regulations
To obtain a Certificate of Operation for a cultivation facility, processing facility, or medicinal dispensary, as applicable, the prospective licensee must be capable of operating in accordance with Chapter 3796 of the Revised Code, as administered by the Medical Marijuana Control Program. Certificates of Operation carry one-year terms.
Reporting Requirements
Ohio uses METRC as its T&T system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movement along the legal supply chain. The system allows for other third-party system integration via application programming interface.
Storage and Security
All licensees must have a security system that remains operational at all times and that uses commercial grade equipment to prevent and detect diversion, theft or loss of medical cannabis, including:
•A perimeter alarm;
•Motion detectors; and
•Duress and panic alarms.
Video cameras must be installed at licensed facilities and directed at all approved safes, approved vaults, cannabis sales areas, and any other area where plant material, medical cannabis extract, or medical cannabis products are being processed, stored or handled. Video surveillance must take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Recordings from all video cameras must be readily available for immediate review by regulating and law enforcement with jurisdiction upon request and must be retained for at least 45 days.
We are in compliance with the laws of Ohio and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no current incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our business activities or operations in the State of Ohio. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including the State of Ohio, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our business activities or operations in the state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including the State of Ohio. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Regulatory Landscape
The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (the PAMMA) was signed into law in April 2016 and originally provided access to Pennsylvania residents with one of 17 qualifying conditions, including epilepsy, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Retail sales began in February 2018. Pennsylvania, which consists of nearly 13 million residents and qualifies as the fifth largest population in the U.S., operates as a high-barrier market with very limited market participation. The PAMMA authorizes a maximum of 25 grower/processing permits and 50 dispensary permits. As part of “Phase 1” of Pennsylvania’s permitting process in 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (the PA DOH) which administers Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program, originally awarded only 12 grower/processing permits and 27 dispensary permits. Subsequently, in 2018, PA DOH conducted “Phase 2” of the permitting process, during which it awarded the remaining 13 grower/processing permits and 23 dispensary permits authorized under the PAMMA. In July of 2019, the PA DOH expanded the list of qualifying medical conditions to include anxiety disorders and Tourette syndrome, increasing the number of qualifying conditions to 23.
To the knowledge of management, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action specific to Pennsylvania. For more information on federal enforcement and the risks associated with the U.S. cannabis regulatory environment generally, see without limitation, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment.”
Pennsylvania Licenses
Through separate subsidiaries, we collectively hold six dispensary permits, allowing for up to 18 medical marijuana retail dispensary locations in applicable regions within Pennsylvania. As of the date of this Form 10-K, we operate 18 medical cannabis dispensaries in Pennsylvania, located in or around the cities of Ardmore, Bethlehem, Bristol, Colwyn, Dickson City, Easton, Hazleton, Irwin, Johnstown, Philadelphia (three locations), Reading, Pittsburgh, Pottsville, Scranton, Stroudsburg, and West Chester. All the dispensaries operate under our BEYOND HELLO™ brand. Further we, through our subsidiary Pennsylvania Medical Solutions, LLC, hold one grower-processor permit, allowing for cultivation and manufacturing options in our Scranton facility.
All dispensaries and grower-processors must register with the PA DOH. Registration certificates are valid for a period of one year and are subject to annual renewals after required fees are paid and the business remains in good standing. Renewal requests are typically communicated through email and include a renewal form. Provided that the requisite renewal fees are paid, the renewal application is submitted in a timely manner, and there are no material violations noted against the applicable license, we would expect our Pennsylvania subsidiaries to receive the applicable renewed license in the ordinary course of business. However, any unexpected delays or costs associated with the licensing renewal process could impede the ongoing or planned operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
License and Regulations
Each retail dispensary license permits the holder to purchase marijuana and marijuana products from grower/processing facilities and allows the sale of marijuana and marijuana products to registered patients. Each grower/processing license permits the holder to purchase marijuana and marijuana products from other grower/processing facilities and allows the sale of marijuana and marijuana products to retail dispensary license permitted entities.
Reporting Requirements
The PA DOH uses MJ Freeway as a T&T system used to track commercial cannabis activity and movement along the legal supply chain. The system allows for other third-party system integration via an application programming interface.
Storage and Security
All dispensaries are required to have a locked limited access area for the storage of medical marijuana that is expired, damaged, deteriorated, mislabeled, contaminated, recalled or whose containers or packages have been opened or breached until such product is returned to the grower/processor. Our subsidiary dispensaries maintain security systems with professional monitoring, 24-hours a day and seven days a week, and fixed cameras on the interior and exterior of the facilities in a manner consistent with Pennsylvania law. Security surveillance recordings are required to be stored for at least 180 days in a readily available format for investigative purposes.
Site-Visits & Inspections
All licensed dispensary locations must be inspected and approved by the PA DOH before commencing live operations. Thereafter, dispensaries are subject to PA DOH inspection, whether with or without notice.
We are in compliance with the laws of Pennsylvania and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no current incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in Pennsylvania. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time
experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including Pennsylvania, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including Pennsylvania. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Virginia
Virginia Regulatory Landscape
Virginia legalized medical marijuana for the treatment of glaucoma and cancer as part of sweeping changes to its drug laws in 1979. In 2015, Virginia passed legislation that provided an affirmative defense for the possession of CBD or THC-A oil pursuant to a valid written certification for patient use of the oils from a physician to alleviate intractable epilepsy but made no provision for a patient to acquire these substances.
In 2017, Virginia commenced a program that allows registered patients to access and use cannabis oil. The enabling legislation also authorized Virginia Board of Pharmacy (the “VA BOP”) to issue five (5) pharmaceutical processor licenses that allow the holder thereof to cultivate, manufacture and dispense medical cannabis from a single location. Pharmaceutical processor licenses are issued by the VA BOP on a regional (restricted) basis such that only one licensee is permitted to operate in each of five (5) defined Health Service Areas across Virginia. In 2018, Virginia expanded the program to allow eligible practitioners to recommend medical cannabis to patients suffering from any diseases or conditions. Additionally, the law required information about dispensed oils to be reported in the Prescription Monitoring Program (the “PMP”) and mandated that practitioners check the PMP prior to issuing patient certifications. In March 2020, Virginia further expanded the medical marijuana program by authorizing licensees to add 5 off-site dispensing locations within their Health Service Area, replacing definitions of CBD oil and THC-A oil with a single definition of “cannabis oil,” and removing certain restrictions applicable to oil potency. The March 2020 legislation became effective in July 2020, and a subset of the regulations implementing the March 2020 legislation became effective in September 2020 with the remaining provisions taking effect in February 2021. In March 2021, Virginia passed legislation again expanding the program by authorizing flower, or “botanical cannabis.” In 2022, further legislative expansion largely focused on patient access and accessibility passed. Under the 2022 bill, the Virginia’s requirement for patients to (i) obtain a certification from a registered practitioner and thereafter (ii) apply to the VA BOP for a registration card before participating in the program was streamlined to remove the registration care requirement. In other words, patients could obtain a certification and promptly purchase medical cannabis in much the same way an ordinary prescription is filled. The 2022 bill made a number of other changes, including removing the mandatory THC-A to CBD ratio, and authorizing additional extraction methods. While changes relating to patient certification and product formulation went into effect on July 1, 2022, regulations implementing other changes have not been finally approved.
We, through our subsidiary Dalitso, are in compliance with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted in Virginia.
To the knowledge of management, there have not been any statements or guidance made by federal authorities or prosecutors regarding the risk of enforcement action specific to Virginia. For more information on federal enforcement and the risks associated with the U.S. cannabis regulatory environment generally, see without limitation, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment.”
Virginia Licenses
Dalitso currently holds a conditional approval from the VA BOP to cultivate, manufacture, and dispense medical cannabis in Health Service Area II, which covers Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William Counties. As of the date of this Form 10-K, we operate five medical cannabis dispensaries and engage in cultivation and manufacturing operations in Virginia at our facility located in Prince William County. The dispensaries operate under our BEYOND HELLO™ brand. We are permitted to open one additional dispensary in Health Service Area II of Virginia.
License and Regulations
Pharmaceutical processors and cannabis dispensing facilities are required to designate a “Pharmacist in Charge” to manage its operation, and to have a supervising pharmacist on duty during all hours of the medical cannabis dispensary’s operation; further, the cultivation and manufacturing operations may be overseen by a “Responsible Party” in lieu of the Pharmacist in Charge. Numerous tasks that involve handling cannabis oil must be performed by a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician acting under a pharmacist’s supervision. Those tasks include, for example, labeling oils, removing oils from inventory, measuring oils for dispensing, and selling oils. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must have current licenses, and the ratio of pharmacists to pharmacy technicians cannot exceed 6-to-1. The VA BOP has also imposed certain educational requirements cultivation and manufacturing processes, as well as significant employee training, both upon hire and on a regular, continuous basis thereafter.
Pharmaceutical processors and cannabis dispensing facilities must operate for a minimum of 35 hours per week, unless otherwise authorized by the VA BOP. Access to the facility is limited to employees performing their job duties (who must display ID badges) and patients (and their parents or guardians). Pharmacists are required to be available to counsel registered patients (and parents/legal guardians as applicable) about medical cannabis products, including (but not limited to) proper use and storage.
As a general matter, the VA BOP prohibits use of pesticides in cultivation (with some exception) and mandates that extraction methods meet industry standards. All medical cannabis products must be branded, tested, and registered with the VA BOP before they can be dispensed. Medical cannabis products must be packaged in child-resistant containers (with limited exceptions), properly labeled, and tested (at the batch level) by qualified independent laboratories. In the course of dispensing operations, a pharmacist or pharmacy technician must check patient identification and certification before dispensing any medical cannabis products and detailed records about all dispensing transactions (along with other records) must be maintained for a period of not less than three years, and the licensee must implement a stringent quality assurance program designed to prevent dispensing errors. Expired, damaged or otherwise waste cannabis plant material and products must be stored in a secure manner until properly destroyed.
Reporting Requirements
Pharmaceutical processors are required to maintain an electronic tracking system comprised of an electronic radio-frequency identification seed-to-sale system capable of tracking cannabis from either the seed or immature plant stage until the cannabis oils are sold to a registered patient, parent, or legal guardian or until the cannabis, including the seeds, parts of plants, and extracts, are destroyed. The electronic tracking system shall include, at a minimum, a central inventory management system and standard and ad hoc reporting functions as required by the VA BOP (and must otherwise satisfy recordkeeping laws, rules and regulations).
Storage and Security
Pharmaceutical processors are subject to a number of inventory and security requirements under Virginia law and VA BOP regulations. For example, they must: conduct an initial comprehensive inventory; establish ongoing inventory controls and procedures; conduct weekly inventory reviews; and prepare an annual inventory report (inventory records must be made available to the VA BOP and its agents for inspection and copying). All parts of the cannabis plant and medical cannabis products (whether finished or in process) must be stored in a locked and secured vault or safe with appropriate access limitations and the pharmaceutical processor must maintain a sophisticated security system that satisfies VA BOP-mandated criteria. Cannabis and cannabis products must be stored in a generally clean, sanitary, and secure area, and storage areas and related procedures are subject to a number of VA BOP requirements. Pharmaceutical processors must install and maintain a video surveillance system that captures all areas where cannabis and cannabis products (whether finished or in process) are handled or stored. Surveillance recordings must be stored for 30 days and made available for the VA BOP’s immediate review upon request. All security breaches or other events must be promptly reported to the VA BOP.
Site-Visits & Inspections
At all times, pharmaceutical processing facilities are subject to inspection by the VA BOP and certain other authorized agencies, and pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on-site must be prepared to present their current license or registration to the VA BOP or its agencies during inspections.
We are in compliance with the laws of Virginia and the related cannabis licensing framework. There are no current incidences of non-compliance, citations or notices of violation outstanding which have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in Virginia. Notwithstanding the foregoing, like all businesses we may from time-to-time experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations in the states in which we operate, including Virginia, and such non-compliance may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in the applicable state. However, we take steps to minimize, disclose and remedy all incidences of non-compliance which may have an impact on our licenses, business activities or operations in all states in which we operate, including Virginia. See “Regulatory Framework – Compliance.”
Compliance
With the oversight and under the direction of our legal department, our compliance department, led by our Vice President of Compliance, oversees, maintains and implements a compliance program in conjunction with our operations in each jurisdiction. In addition to our legal and compliance departments, we have local regulatory/compliance counsel engaged in every jurisdiction (state and local) in which we operate. Together with on-site management in each jurisdiction, our legal and compliance departments are responsible for ensuring operations and employees strictly comply with applicable laws, regulations and licensing conditions and ensure that operations do not endanger the health, safety or welfare of the community. We designate a duly qualified and experienced manager at each location who is responsible to coordinate with operational units within each facility (to extent applicable) to ensure that the operation and all employees are following and complying with our written security procedures and all regulatory compliance standards.
In conjunction with our human resources and operations departments, the compliance and quality departments help oversee and implement training for all employees, including on the following topics:
•compliance with state and local laws;
•cultivation/manufacturing/dispensing/transport procedures (as applicable);
•security and safety policies and procedures;
•inventory control, T&T, seed-to-sale, and point of sale systems training (as applicable); and
•quality control.
Our compliance program emphasizes security and inventory control to ensure strict monitoring of cannabis (including living plants and harvested plant material) and cannabis product inventory. Only authorized, properly trained employees are allowed to access our inventory management systems.
Our compliance department and legal team, comprised of in-house and local outside counsel, monitors all compliance notifications from the regulators and inspectors in each market, timely resolving any issues identified. The team maintains records of all compliance notifications received from the state regulators or inspectors and how and when the issue was resolved. We have created comprehensive standard operating procedures that include detailed descriptions and instructions for receiving shipments of inventory, inventory tracking, recordkeeping and record retention practices related to inventory, as well as procedures for performing inventory reconciliation and ensuring the accuracy of inventory tracking and recordkeeping. We maintain accurate records of our inventory at all licensed facilities. Adherence to our standard operating procedures is mandatory and ensures that our operations are compliant with the rules set forth by the applicable state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, licenses and other requirements. Training on these standard operating procedures is mandatory by all employees and defined by function and role.
We have developed and continue to refine a robust compliance program designed to ensure operational and regulatory requirements continue to be satisfied and have worked closely with experts and outside counsel to develop compliance
procedures intended to assist us in monitoring compliance with U.S. state law on an ongoing basis. We will continue to work closely with outside counsel and other compliance experts to further develop, enhance and improve our compliance and risk management and mitigation processes and procedures in furtherance of continued compliance with the complex regulatory frameworks of the states where we operate. The internal compliance program currently in place includes continued monitoring by managers and executives of us and our subsidiaries to ensure that all operations conform to and comply with required laws, rules, regulations and SOPs. We further require our operating subsidiaries to report and disclose all instances of non-compliance, regulatory, administrative, or legal proceedings that may be initiated against them.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, from time to time, as with all businesses and all rules, it is anticipated that we, through our subsidiaries and establishments to which we provide operational support, may experience incidences of non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations, which may include minor matters such as:
•staying open slightly too late due to an excess of customers at stated closing time;
•minor inventory discrepancies with regulatory reporting software;
•missing fields in regulatory reports;
•missing fields entries in a visitor log;
•cleaning schedules not available on display;
•educational materials and/or interpreter services not available in a sufficient number of languages;
•updated staffing plan not immediately available on site;
•improper illumination of external signage;
•marijuana infused product utensils improperly stored;
•partial obstruction of camera views; and/or
•supplemental use of onsite surveillance room (i.e., storage).
In addition, either on an inspection basis or in response to complaints, such as from neighbors, customers or former employees, State or local regulators may, among other things, issue investigatory- or demand-type letters, give warnings to or cite businesses which we operate or for which we provide operational support for violations, including those listed above. Such regulatory actions could lead to a requirement or directive to submit and thereafter comply with (for example) a plan of correction. Depending on the jurisdiction, it is also possible regulators may assess penalties and/or amendments, suspensions or revocations of licenses or otherwise take action that may impact our licenses, business activities, operational support activities or operations.
To minimize opportunities for non-compliance and among other measures, we have implemented regular compliance reviews to ensure our subsidiaries and establishments to which we provide operational support are operating in conformance with applicable State and local cannabis rules and regulations. In the event non-compliance is discovered, during a compliance review or otherwise, we will promptly remedy the same, including by self-reporting to applicable State and local cannabis regulators as and when required by law and will make all requisite and appropriate public disclosures of non-compliance, citations, notices of violation and the like which may have an impact on its licenses, business activities, operational support activities or operations.
State License Renewal Requirements
For each of our provisional and operational licenses, the states impose strict license renewal requirements that vary state by state. We generally must complete the renewal application process within a prescribed period of time prior to the expiration date and pay an application fee. The state licensing body can deny or revoke licenses and renewals for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to (a) submission of materially inaccurate, incomplete or fraudulent information, (b) failure of the company or any of its directors or officers to comply, or have a history of non-compliance, with any applicable law or regulation, including laws relating to minimum age of customers, safety and non-diversion of cannabis or cannabis products, taxes, child support, workers compensation and insurance coverage, or otherwise remain in good standing (c) failure to submit or implement a plan of correction for any identified violation, (d) attempting to assign registration to another entity without state approval, (e) insufficient financial resources, (f) committing, permitting, aiding
or abetting of any illegal practices in the operation of a facility, (g) failure to cooperate or give information to relevant law enforcement related to any matter arising out of conduct at a licensed facility and (h) lack of responsible operations, as evidenced by negligence, disorderly or unsanitary facilities or permitting a person to use a registration card belonging to another person. Certain jurisdictions also require licensees to attend a public hearing or forum in connection with their license renewal application.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2022, we had 1,486 employees. We are committed to hiring talented individuals and maximizing individual potential, while fostering growth and career advancement. Our goal is to use the highest standards in attracting the best talent, offering competitive compensation, as well as implementing best practices in evaluating, recruiting and onboarding our human capital.
Our employees are split across the Company as follows:
| | | | | |
Corporate | 136 |
Retail | 829 |
Manufacturing | 521 |
Total: | 1,486 | |
As of December 31, 2022, approximately 181 employees who work in our Scranton, Pennsylvania grower processor facility and approximately 27 employees who work in Scranton, Stroudsburg and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania dispensaries are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1776KS. We did not experience any union work stoppages in 2022 and we consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
On February 16, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) conducted an election to determine whether certain Beyond Hello IL, LLC employees located at 2021 Gooselake Lake Road, Sauget, Illinois 62206 would be represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 881 (“Local 881”). Local 881 received votes from the majority of the valid ballots cast. The NLRB certified the election on February 28, 2023.
Available Information
We maintain a website at http://www.jushico.com. Through this website, our filings with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all filed exhibits and amendments to those reports, will be accessible (free of charge) as soon as reasonably practicable after materials are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information provided on our website is not part of this document. You may also read and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information relating to the Company is also available under the Company’s profile under SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Summary of Risk Factors
The Company is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, any of which could have a significant or material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity or consolidated financial statements. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks we face, can be found below under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, before making a decision to invest in our Subordinate Voting Shares.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
•Our ability to grow our medical and adult-use cannabis product offerings and dispensary services may be limited.
•If we cannot manage our growth, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We have a history of sustained losses and negative cash flow from operations, and we expect to incur significant ongoing costs and obligations related to our investment in infrastructure, growth, regulatory compliance and operations and may not be able to achieve profitability.
•We have concluded there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
•The market for the Subordinate Voting Shares may be limited for holders of our securities who live in the U.S.
•We face increasing competition that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We may not be able to accurately forecast our operating results and plan our operations due to uncertainties in the cannabis industry.
•We are highly dependent on certain key personnel.
•We face inherent risks of liability claims related to the use of our products.
•Our medical marijuana business may be impacted by consumer perception of the cannabis industry, which we cannot control or predict.
•Product recalls could result in a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We have a substantial level of indebtedness that requires us to comply with certain restrictions and covenants, and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful. The terms of our indebtedness may also impair our ability to respond to changing business and economic conditions and may seriously harm our business.
•We are subject to labor risks and a dispute with our employees or labor unions could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment
•Cannabis is illegal under U.S. federal law.
•The regulation of cannabis in the U.S. is uncertain.
•Anti-Money Laundering Laws in the U.S. may limit access to funds from banks and other financial institutions.
•Potential regulation by the FDA could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•As a cannabis company, we may be subject to heightened scrutiny in Canada and the U.S. that could materially adversely impact the liquidity of the Subordinate Voting Shares.
•As a cannabis business, we are subject to certain tax provisions that have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•Our property is subject to risk of civil asset forfeiture.
•We may be at a higher risk of U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) audit.
•We could be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liabilities under RICO.
Risks Related to Owning Jushi’s Subordinate Voting Shares
•Return on Subordinate Voting Shares is not guaranteed.
•Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our shareholders.
•Sales of substantial amounts of Subordinate Voting Shares by our existing shareholders in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares.
•The market price for the Subordinate Voting Shares has been and is likely to continue to be volatile.
•There may not be sufficient liquidity in the markets for our Subordinate Voting Shares.
•We will be subject to increased costs as a result of being a U.S. reporting company.
•We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which, if not corrected, could affect the reliability of our consolidated financial statements and have other adverse consequences.
Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
The cannabis industry is relatively new.
We are operating in a relatively new industry and market. In addition to being subject to general business risks, we must continue to build brand awareness in this industry and market share through significant investments in our strategy, production capacity, quality assurance and compliance with regulations. Research in Canada, the U.S. and internationally regarding the medical benefits, viability, safety, efficacy and dosing of cannabis or isolated cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remains in relatively early stages. Few clinical trials on the benefits of cannabis or isolated cannabinoids have been conducted. Future research and clinical trials may draw opposing conclusions to statements contained in the articles, reports and studies currently favored, or could reach different or negative conclusions regarding the medical benefits, viability, safety, efficacy, dosing or other facts and perceptions related to medical cannabis, which could adversely affect social acceptance of cannabis and the demand for our products and dispensary services.
Accordingly, there is no assurance that the cannabis industry and the market for medicinal and/or adult-use cannabis will continue to exist and grow as currently anticipated or function and evolve in a manner consistent with management’s expectations and assumptions. Any event or circumstance that adversely affects the cannabis industry, such as the imposition of further restrictions on sales and marketing or further restrictions on sales in certain areas and markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face risks due to industry immaturity or limited comparable, competitive or established industry best practices.
As a relatively new industry, there are not many established operators in the medical and adult use cannabis industries whose business models we can follow or build upon. Similarly, there is no or limited information about comparable companies available for potential investors to review in making a decision about whether to invest in us.
Shareholders and investors should consider, among other factors, our prospects for success in light of the risks and uncertainties encountered by companies, like us, that are in their early stages. For example, unanticipated expenses and problems or technical difficulties may occur, which may result in material delays in the operation of our business. We may fail to successfully address these risks and uncertainties or successfully implement our operating strategies. If we fail to do so, it could materially harm our business to the point of having to cease operations and could impair the value of the Subordinate Voting Shares to the extent that investors may lose their entire investments.
Our ability to grow our medical and adult-use cannabis product offerings and dispensary services may be limited.
As we introduce or expand our medical and adult-use cannabis product offerings and dispensary services, we may incur losses or otherwise fail to enter certain markets successfully. Our expansion into new markets may place us in competitive and regulatory environments with which we are unfamiliar and involve various risks, including the need to invest
significant resources and the possibility that returns on those investments will not be achieved for several years, if at all. In attempting to establish new product offerings or dispensary services, we may incur significant expenses and face various other challenges, such as expanding our work force and management personnel to cover these markets and complying with complicated cannabis regulations that apply to these markets. In addition, we may not successfully demonstrate the value of these product offerings and dispensary services to consumers, and failure to do so would compromise our ability to successfully expand these additional revenue streams.
We may acquire other companies or technologies.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to grow our business in response to the demands of consumers and other constituents within the cannabis industry as well as competitive pressures. In some circumstances, we may determine to do so through the acquisition of complementary businesses rather than through internal development. The identification of suitable acquisition candidates can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly, and we may not be able to successfully complete identified acquisitions. In addition, we may not realize the expected benefits from completed acquisitions. The risks we face in connection with acquisition include:
•diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing acquisition integration challenges;
•coordination of research and development and sales and marketing functions;
•retention of employees from the acquired company;
•cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from the acquired company into our organization;
•integration of the acquired company’s accounting, management information, human resources, and other administrative systems;
•the need to implement or improve controls, procedures, and policies at a business that prior to the acquisition may have lacked effective controls, procedures and policies;
•potential write-offs of intangible assets or other assets acquired in transactions that may have an adverse effect on our operating results in a given period;
•liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including patent and trademark infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities, and other known and unknown liabilities; and
•litigation or other claims in connection with the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, consumers, former shareholders, or other third parties.
Our failure to address these risks or other problems encountered in connection with any future acquisitions or investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions or investments, cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities, and harm our business generally. Future acquisitions could also result in the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, or the impairment of goodwill, any of which could harm our financial condition.
We may issue additional Subordinate Voting Shares in connection with such transactions, which would dilute our other shareholders’ interests in us. The presence of one or more material liabilities of an acquired company that are unknown to us at the time of acquisition could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, prospects and financial condition. A strategic transaction may result in a significant change in the nature of our business, operations and strategy. In addition, we may encounter unforeseen obstacles or costs in implementing a strategic transaction or integrating any acquired business into our operations.
If we cannot manage our growth, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to growth-related risks, including capacity constraints and pressure on our internal systems and controls. Our ability to manage growth effectively will require us to continue to implement and improve our operational
and financial systems and to expand, train and manage our employee base. Our inability to successfully manage our growth may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
We have a history of sustained losses and negative cash flow from operations, and we expect to incur significant ongoing costs and obligations related to our investment in infrastructure, growth, regulatory compliance and operations and may not be able to achieve profitability.
We have sustained net losses from operations and negative cash flow from operating activities in the past and may incur such losses and negative operating cash flow in the future. We expect to incur significant ongoing costs and obligations related to our investment in infrastructure and growth and for regulatory compliance, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, future changes in regulations, more vigorous enforcement thereof or other unanticipated events could require extensive changes to our operations, increase our compliance costs or give rise to material liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our efforts to grow our business may be more costly than expected, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset these higher operating expenses. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays, and other unknown events. If we are unable to achieve and sustain profitability, the market price of our securities may significantly decrease.
We have concluded there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As described under “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources – Liquidity”, we have evaluated our financial condition as of the date this report and, based on this evaluation, we have determined that, as of the date of this report, the existence of certain conditions and events raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within twelve months following the date of this report.
In addition, our determination of the existence of substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern itself has had, and may in the future have, adverse consequences for the Company. Furthermore, such determination may cause or result in:
•harm to the Company’s reputation, investor confidence, customer relationships, relationships with the Company’s agent and lenders, and the willingness for third parties to do business with the Company on favorable terms, or at all, in the future;
•disruption of the Company’s business;
•distraction of the Company’s management and employees;
•difficulty in recruiting, hiring, motivating, and retaining talented and skilled personnel;
•difficulty in maintaining or negotiating and consummating new, business or strategic relationships or transactions;
•increased market price volatility in its subordinate voting shares; and
•increased costs and advisory fees.
If we are unable to mitigate these or other potential risks related to the uncertainty caused by the Company’s determination that substantial doubt exists as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, as well as its noncompliance with the terms of its Senior Secured Credit Facility (the “Acquisition Facility”), it may disrupt the Company’s business and/or materially and adversely impact the Company’s prospects, reputation, revenue, operating results, and financial condition.
Our auditors also concluded there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our auditors also evaluated our financial condition as of the date of this report and reached a conclusion that the existence of certain conditions and events raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within twelve months following the date of this report, as described in their Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, which is included in Part II - 1Item 8. Audited Financial Statements.
The market for the Subordinate Voting Shares may be limited for holders of our securities who live in the U.S.
Given the heightened risk profile associated with cannabis in the U.S., capital markets participants may be unwilling to assist with the settlement of trades for U.S. resident securityholders of companies with operations in the U.S. cannabis industry, which may prohibit or significantly impair the ability of securityholders in the U.S. to trade our securities. In the event residents of the U.S. are unable to settle trades of our securities, this may affect the pricing of such securities in the secondary market, the transparency and availability of trading prices and the liquidity of these securities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted the level of economic activity around the world, including where we operate in the U.S. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the governments of many countries, states, provinces, municipalities and other geographic regions have taken preventative or protective actions, such as imposing restrictions on travel and business operations, ordering temporary closures of businesses and advising or requiring individuals to limit or forego their time outside of their homes. Numerous businesses have temporarily closed voluntarily or closed permanently. Although some preventative or protective actions have been eased or lifted in varying degrees by different governments of various countries, states and municipalities, COVID-19, including new and highly contagious variants of COVID-19, continues to spread quickly throughout the world. Notwithstanding widespread vaccine availability within the U.S., the emergence of COVID-19 variants and slowing vaccination rates in certain localities have resulted in increased infection rates and has caused, and may continue to cause, several jurisdictions to reinstitute certain COVID-19 restrictions. Additional waves of increased COVID-19 infections as well as COVID-19 related restrictions imposed by various governmental authorities (including, for example, requirements to show proof of vaccination), could negatively impact our supply chain, as well as traffic and sales volume for our products, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
While many closures or restrictions have eased as the spread of COVID-19 and infection rates decline, if the pandemic persists, including if and when new variants of the virus emerge, closures or other restrictions on the conduct our business operations or of third party manufacturers, suppliers or vendors could disrupt our supply chain. Quarantines, shelter-in-place and similar government orders, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, could impact personnel or the availability or cost of materials, which could in turn disrupt our supply chain. In addition, as a result of COVID-19, we have in certain cases implemented work-from-home policies for certain employees, and the effects of our work-from-home policies may negatively impact productivity, disrupt access to books and records, increase cybersecurity risks and the risk of inadvertent disclosure of confidential information and disrupt our business. In addition, the continued spread of COVID-19 could result in under-utilization of our assets as a result of disruptions in labor supply, as well as delays and increased costs in construction and expansion projects.
The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve rapidly, and the extent of its effect on our operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the development and availability of effective treatments and vaccines, further actions taken by governments and other third parties to contain or mitigate its impact, the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and related containment measures, and new information that will emerge concerning the severity and impact of COVID-19 and new variants of the virus, among others. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, our businesses could also be negatively impacted should the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lead to changes in consumer behavior, such as reductions in discretionary spending. In addition, a severe or prolonged recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic would likely materially affect our business and the value of our Subordinated Voting Shares.
We expect to be subject to taxation in both Canada and the U.S., which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are a Canadian corporation, and as a result generally would be classified as a non-U.S. corporation under the general rules of U.S. federal income taxation. Section 7874 of U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), however, contains rules that can cause a non-U.S. corporation to be taxed as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under Section 7874 of the Code, a corporation created or organized outside of the U.S. will nevertheless be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which is referred to as an inversion, if each of the
following three conditions are met: (i) the non-U.S. corporation acquires, directly or indirectly, or is treated as acquiring under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, substantially all of the assets held, directly or indirectly, by a U.S. corporation or constituting a U.S. trade or business, (ii) after the acquisition, the former shareholders of the acquired U.S. corporation hold at least 80% (by vote or value) of the shares of the non-U.S. corporation by reason of holding shares of the acquired U.S. corporation or acquired trade or business, and (iii) after the acquisition, the non-U.S. corporation’s expanded affiliated group does not have substantial business activities in the non-U.S. corporation’s country of organization or incorporation when compared to the expanded affiliated group’s total business activities.
Pursuant to Section 7874 of the Code, we are classified as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are subject to U.S. federal income tax on our worldwide income. Regardless of any application of Section 7874 of the Code, however, we expect to be treated as a Canadian resident company for purposes of the Canadian Income Tax Act, as amended. As a result, we will be subject to taxation both in Canada and the U.S., which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are a holding company and our ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to shareholders may be limited.
We are a holding company and essentially all of our assets are the capital stock of our subsidiaries. We currently conduct substantially all of our business through our subsidiaries, which currently generate substantially all of our revenues. Consequently, our cash flows and ability to complete current or desirable future growth opportunities are largely dependent on the earnings of our subsidiaries and the distribution of those earnings to Jushi Holdings Inc. The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends and other distributions will depend on those subsidiaries’ operating results and will be subject to applicable laws and regulations that require that solvency and capital standards be maintained by a subsidiary company and contractual restrictions contained in the instruments governing any current or future indebtedness of our subsidiaries. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of our subsidiaries, holders of indebtedness and trade creditors of that subsidiary may be entitled to payment of their claims from that subsidiary’s assets before we or our shareholders would be entitled to any payment or residual assets.
We face increasing competition that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face competition from companies that may have greater capitalization, greater access to public equity markets, longer operating histories and more manufacturing, retail and marketing experience than us. As we execute our growth strategy, operators in markets we enter in the future will become direct competitors, and we are likely to continue to face increasing and intense competition from these companies. Increased competition by larger and better financed competitors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If the number of users of adult-use and medical marijuana in the U.S. increases, the demand for products will increase. Consequently, we expect that competition will become more intense as current and future competitors begin to offer an increasing number of diversified products to respond to such increased demand. To remain competitive, we will require a continued investment in research and development, marketing, sales and client support. We may not have sufficient resources to maintain sufficient levels of investment in research and development, marketing, sales and client support efforts to remain competitive, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The cannabis industry is undergoing rapid growth and substantial change, which have resulted in an increase in competitors, consolidation and the formation of strategic relationships. Acquisitions or other consolidating transactions could harm us in a number of ways, including losing customers, revenue and market share, or forcing us to expend greater resources to meet new or additional competitive threats, all of which could harm our operating results. As competitors enter the market and become increasingly sophisticated, competition in our industry may intensify and place downward pressure on prices for our products and services, which could result in impairment of our asset values and negatively impact our profitability.
We may not be able to accurately forecast our operating results and plan our operations due to uncertainties in the cannabis industry.
Because U.S. federal and state laws prevent widespread participation in and otherwise hinder market research in the medical and adult-use cannabis industry, the third-party market data available to us is limited and unreliable. Accordingly, we must rely largely on our own market research to forecast sales as detailed forecasts are not generally obtainable from other sources at this early stage of the cannabis industry. Our market research and projections of estimated total retail sales, demographics, demand, and similar consumer research, are based on assumptions from limited and unreliable market data, and generally represent the personal opinions of our management team as of the date of this Form 10-K. A failure in the demand for our products to materialize as a result of competition, technological change or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.
We are subject to risks related to growing an agricultural product.
Our business involves the growing of cannabis, an agricultural product. Such business is subject to the risks inherent in the agricultural business, such as losses due to infestation by insects or plant diseases and similar agricultural risks. Although much of our growing is expected to be completed indoors, there can be no assurance that natural elements will not have a material adverse effect on our future production.
We are highly dependent on certain key personnel.
We depend on key managerial personnel, including James Cacioppo, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, for our continued success, and our anticipated growth may require additional expertise and the addition of new qualified personnel. Qualified individuals within the cannabis industry are in high demand and we may incur significant costs to attract and retain qualified management personnel, or be unable to attract or retain personnel necessary to operate or expand our business. The loss of the services of existing personnel or our failure to recruit additional key managerial personnel in a timely manner, or at all, could harm our business development programs and our ability to manage day-to-day operations, attract collaboration partners, attract and retain other employees, and generate revenues, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face inherent risks of liability claims related to the use of our products.
As a distributor of products designed to be ingested by humans, we face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability claims, regulatory action and litigation if our products cause or are alleged to have caused significant loss or injury. We may be subject to various product liability claims, including, among others, that our products caused injury or illness, include inadequate instructions for use or include inadequate warnings concerning possible side effects or interactions with other substances. A product liability claim or regulatory action against us, whether or not successful, could result in materially increased costs, adversely affect our reputation with our clients and consumers generally, and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We may become party to litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business which could adversely affect our business. Should any litigation in which we become involved be determined against us, such a decision could adversely affect our ability to continue operating and the market price for the Subordinate Voting Shares. Even if we achieve a successful result in any litigation in which we are involved, the costs of litigation and redirection of our management’s time and attention could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Consumer preferences may change, and we may be unsuccessful in acquiring or retaining consumers and keeping pace with changing market developments. This could result in lower than expected demand for our products, which could adversely affect our revenues.
As a result of constantly changing consumer preferences, consumer products often attain financial success for a limited period of time. Even if our products achieve financial success, there can be no assurance that we are able to maintain that success or that those products will enable us to continue to be profitable. Our success will be significantly dependent upon
our ability to develop new and improved product lines and adapt to consumer preferences. Even if we are successful in introducing new products or further developing our current products, the failure of those products to gain consumer acceptance or the failure to update our products in ways that our customers expect could cause a decline in our products’ popularity and impair our brand. In addition, we may be required to invest significant amounts of capital in the creation of new product lines, brands, marketing campaigns, packaging and other product features—none of which are guaranteed to be successful. Failure to introduce new features and product lines and to achieve and sustain market acceptance, or our inability to satisfy consumer preferences, could adversely affect our ability to generate sufficient revenue in order to maintain profitability.
The cannabis industry is in its early stages of development and it is likely that we, and our competitors, will seek to introduce new products in the future. We may not be successful in developing effective and safe new products, anticipating shifts in social trends and consumer demands, bringing such products to market in time to be effectively commercialized, or obtaining any required regulatory approvals, which, together with any capital expenditures made in the course of such product development and regulatory approval processes, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our medical marijuana business may be impacted by consumer perception of the cannabis industry, which we cannot control or predict.
We believe that the medical marijuana industry is highly dependent upon consumer perception regarding the safety, efficacy and quality of medical marijuana distributed to those consumers. Consumer perception of our products may be significantly influenced by scientific research or findings, regulatory investigations, litigation, media attention and other publicity regarding the consumption of medical marijuana products. There can be no assurance that future scientific research, findings, regulatory proceedings, litigation, media attention or other research findings or publicity will be favorable to the medical marijuana market or any particular product, or consistent with earlier publicity. Future research reports, findings, regulatory proceedings, litigation, media attention or other publicity that are perceived as less favorable than, or that question, earlier research reports, findings or publicity could have a material adverse effect on the demand for our products and our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Product recalls could result in a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Manufacturers and distributors of products are sometimes subject to the recall or return of their products for a variety of reasons, including product defects, such as contamination, unintended harmful side effects or interactions with other substances, packaging safety and inadequate or inaccurate labelling disclosure. If any of our products are recalled due to an alleged product defect or for any other reason, we could be required to incur the unexpected expense of the recall and any legal proceedings that might arise in connection with the recall. We may lose a significant amount of sales and may not be able to replace those sales at an acceptable margin or at all. In addition, a product recall may require significant management attention. Although we have detailed procedures in place for testing our products, there can be no assurance that any quality, potency or contamination problems will be detected in time to avoid unforeseen product recalls, regulatory action or lawsuits. Additionally, if one of our significant brands were subject to recall, the image of that brand and Jushi generally could be harmed. Any recall could lead to decreased demand for our products and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, product recalls may lead to increased scrutiny of our operations by regulatory agencies, requiring further management attention and potential legal fees and other expenses.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business or our market, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Subordinate Voting Shares will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Subordinated Voting Shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business or industry, the trading price of our shares would likely decline. In addition, if our
operating results fail to meet the forecast of analysts, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our shares could decrease, which might cause our share price and trading volume to decline.
We are subject to security risks related to our products as well as our information and technology systems.
Given the nature of our product and its limited legal availability, we are at significant risk of theft at our facilities. We implement security measures to counteract this threat, but there is no guarantee that these measures will be sufficient. A breach of our security measures at one of our facilities could expose us to additional liability and to potentially costly litigation, increase expenses relating to the resolution and future prevention of these breaches and may deter potential patients from choosing our products.
In addition, we collect and store personal information about our patients and we are responsible for protecting that information from privacy breaches. We store certain personally identifiable information and other confidential information of our customers on our systems and applications. Though we maintain robust, proprietary security protocols, we may experience attempts by third parties to obtain unauthorized access to the personally identifiable information and other confidential information of our customers. This information could also be otherwise exposed through human error or malfeasance. The unauthorized access or compromise of this personally identifiable information and other confidential information could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A privacy breach may occur through procedural or process failure, information technology malfunction, or deliberate unauthorized intrusions. Theft of data for competitive purposes, particularly patient lists and preferences, is an ongoing risk whether perpetrated via employee collusion or negligence or through deliberate cyber-attack. Any such theft or privacy breach would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations depend and will depend, in part, on how well we protect our networks, equipment, information technology (IT), systems and software against damage from a number of threats, including, natural disasters, intentional damage and destruction, fire, power loss, hacking, computer viruses, vandalism and theft. Our operations also depend and will continue to depend on the timely maintenance, upgrade and replacement of networks, equipment, IT systems and software, as well as preemptive expenses to mitigate the risks of failures. Any of these and other events could result in information system failures, delays and/or increase in capital expenses. The failure of information systems or a component of information systems could, depending on the nature of any such failure, adversely impact our reputation and results of operations.
We face exposure to fraudulent or illegal activity by employees, contractors, consultants and agents, which may subject us to investigations and actions.
We are exposed to the risk that any of the employees, independent contractors and consultants of our company and our subsidiaries may engage in fraudulent or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates, (i) government regulations, (ii) manufacturing standards, (iii) federal and local healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations, or (iv) laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. It may not always be possible for us to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions taken by us to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. We cannot provide assurance that our internal controls and compliance systems will protect us from acts committed by our employees, agents or business partners in violation of U.S. federal or state or local laws. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending or asserting our rights, those actions could have a material impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our
operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.
Our reputation and ability to do business may be negatively impacted by the improper conduct by our business partners, employees or agents.
In certain states, we depend on third-party suppliers to produce and ship our orders. Products purchased from our suppliers are resold to our customers. These suppliers could fail to produce products to our specifications or quality standards and may not deliver units on a timely basis. Any changes in our suppliers’ production or product availability could impact our ability to fulfill orders and could also disrupt our business due to delays in finding new suppliers.
Furthermore, we cannot provide assurance that our internal controls and compliance systems will protect us from acts committed by our employees, agents or business partners in violation of U.S. federal or state or local laws. Any improper acts or allegations could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations and related stockholder lawsuits, could lead to substantial civil and criminal monetary and non-monetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant legal and investigatory fees.
We have in the past and may in the future experience threats and breaches to our data and information technology systems, including malicious software codes, viruses, phishing, ransomware and other cyber-attacks, that disrupt our information systems or operations, or result in the dissemination of sensitive personal or confidential information or unauthorized financial access, theft or crimes, which could result in increased costs, economic losses, exposure to significant liability, reputational harm, loss of business, and other serious negative consequences.
Our data and information technology systems are subject to a growing number of threats from computer programmers, hackers, and other adversaries that may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate our confidential information or that of third parties, create system disruptions, or cause damage, security issues, or shutdowns. They also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms, ransomware and other malicious software programs that attack our systems or otherwise exploit security vulnerabilities. Because the techniques used to circumvent, gain access to, or sabotage security systems, can be highly sophisticated and change frequently, they often are not recognized until launched against a target, and may originate from less regulated and remote areas around the world. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures, resulting in potential data loss and damage to our systems. Our systems are also subject to compromise from internal threats such as improper action by employees, including phishing attacks or malicious insiders, or by vendors, counterparties, and other third parties with otherwise legitimate access to our systems. Our policies, employee training (including phishing prevention training), procedures, and technical safeguards may not prevent all improper access to our network or proprietary or confidential information by employees, vendors, counterparties, or other third parties. Our facilities may also be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, misplaced or lost data, human errors, or other similar events that could negatively affect our systems, and our and our customers’ data. Additionally, our vendors and any third-party service providers we use who process information on our behalf may cause security breaches for which we are responsible or suffer losses.
For instance, in September 2022, we became aware that we were subject to what we believe was a phishing attack that resulted in the transfer of approximately $0.5 million. Although we were able to recall the transfer and recover substantially all of the amount in October 2022, such losses in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Any compromise or perceived compromise of the security of our systems or the systems of one or more of our vendors or service providers could damage our reputation and brand, cause the termination of relationships with our partners and customers, result in disruption or interruption to our business operations, and subject us to significant liability and expense, which would harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.
We have a substantial level of indebtedness that requires us to comply with certain restrictions and covenants, and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful. The terms of our indebtedness may also impair our ability to respond to changing business and economic conditions and may seriously harm our business.
We had $206.4 million of indebtedness, as of December 31, 2022. We have incurred significant indebtedness under our 12% second lien notes (the “Second Lien Notes”), Acquisition Facility, and certain acquisition-related promissory notes to fund working capital and other cash needs and to fund acquisitions. We expect to incur additional indebtedness in the future.
Our debt service cost for the Second Lien Notes is approximately $2.2 million per calendar quarter and our debt service cost for the Acquisition Facility is approximately $1.8 million per calendar quarter plus an additional $2.4 million per quarter starting on July 1, 2023 (which represent required amortization payments of 15% of the outstanding principal amount per annum, or 3.75% per quarter). The Second Lien Notes and the Acquisition Facility are secured by all material assets and owned equity of the Company and certain of its wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries, subject to certain exclusions including cannabis, cannabis-related, hemp and hemp-related permits and licenses, most real property, accounts receivable, inventory, and assets and equity interests that cannot be collateralized pursuant to law or contractual obligation.
In addition, the terms of our existing debt instruments require, and any debt instruments we enter into in the future may require, that we comply with certain restrictions and covenants. These covenants and restrictions, as well as any significant increase in our indebtedness, could adversely impact us for a number of reasons, including:
•resulting in an event of default if we fail to satisfy our obligations under our outstanding debt or fail to comply with the financial or other restrictive covenants contained in the agreements governing our other indebtedness, which event of default could result in all of our debt becoming immediately due and payable and could permit our lenders and noteholders to foreclose on the assets securing any such debt;
•increasing our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions;
•requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, therefore reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures and future business opportunities;
•limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; and
•limiting our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who have less debt.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure that we will generate a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations or if we are unable to refinance existing indebtedness on favorable terms, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and thus render us unable to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations, the terms of our debt instruments may prohibit such dispositions. We may not otherwise be able to consummate those dispositions or be able to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from them and any such proceeds received may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due, which would seriously harm our business and prospects.
We are subject to labor risks and a dispute with our employees or labor unions could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Labor unions are working to organize workforces in the cannabis industry in general. As of December 31, 2022, approximately 161 of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements with labor unions, and it is possible that employees in certain other facilities or dispensaries will be organized in the future, which could lead to work stoppages or increased labor costs and adversely affect our business, profitability and our ability to reinvest into the growth of our business. Labor unions may also limit our flexibility in dealing with our workforce. Work stoppages and instability in our union relationships could delay the production and sale of our products, which could strain relationships with customers and cause a loss of revenues which would adversely affect our operations.
Reliance on Third-Party Suppliers, Manufacturers and Contractors; Reliance on Key Inputs.
The Company's business is dependent on a number of key inputs from third-parties and their related costs, including raw materials and supplies related to its cultivation and manufacturing operations, as well as electricity, water and other local utilities. Due to the uncertain regulatory landscape for regulating cannabis in the U.S., the Company's third-party suppliers, manufacturers and contractors may elect, at any time, to decline or withdraw services necessary for the Company's operations. Any significant interruption or negative change in the availability or economics of the supply chain for key inputs from third-parties could materially impact the business, financial condition and operating results of the Company. Some of these inputs may only be available from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers in the future. If the Company becomes reliant upon a sole source supplier and that supplier was to go out of business or suspend services, the Company might be unable to find a replacement for such source in a timely manner or at all. Similarly, if any future sole source supplier were to be acquired by a competitor, that competitor may elect not to sell to the Company in the future. Additionally, any supplier could at any time suspend or withdraw services. Any inability to secure required supplies and services or to do so on appropriate terms could have a materially adverse impact on the Company's business, financial condition and operating results.
We rely on key utility services.
Our business is dependent on a number of key inputs and their related costs, including raw materials and supplies related to our growing operations, as well as electricity, water and other local utilities. Our cannabis growing operations consume and will continue to consume considerable energy, which makes us vulnerable to rising energy costs. Accordingly, rising or volatile energy costs may, in the future, adversely impact our business and our ability to operate profitably. Additionally, any significant interruption or negative change in the availability or economics of the supply chain for our key inputs could materially impact our business, financial condition and operating results. If we are unable to secure required supplies and services on satisfactory terms, it could have a materially adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Inflation could pose a risk to our business.
A continued upward rate of inflation could influence the profits that we generate from our business. When the rate of inflation rises, the operational costs of running our company also increases, such as labor costs, raw materials and public utilities, thus affecting our ability to provide our serves at competitive prices. An increase in the rate of inflation could force our customers to search for other products, causing us to lose business and revenue.
Risks Related to the Regulatory Environment
Cannabis is illegal under U.S. federal law.
In the U.S., cannabis is largely regulated at the state level. Each state in which we operate (or are currently proposing to operate) authorizes, as applicable, medical and/or adult-use cannabis production and distribution by licensed or registered entities, and numerous other states have legalized adult-use of cannabis in some form. However, under U.S. federal law, the possession, use, cultivation, and transfer of cannabis and any related drug paraphernalia is illegal, and any such acts
are criminalized under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA, and is thereby deemed to have a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the U.S., and a lack of safety for use under medical supervision. The concepts of “medical cannabis,” “retail cannabis” and “adult-use cannabis” do not exist under U.S. federal law. However, in October of 2022, the Biden Administration announced its intention to review the regulation of cannabis under the CSA by directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to expeditiously review marijuana’s Schedule I status. While this directive could result in the decriminalization of marijuana for medical and adult-use by descheduling or rescheduling marijuana, there are no assurances if or when there could be any change in the regulation of marijuana under the CSA. Although we believe that our business activities are compliant with applicable state and local laws in the U.S., strict compliance with state and local cannabis laws would not provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against us. Any such proceedings may result in a material adverse effect on us. We derive 100% of our revenues from the cannabis industry. The enforcement of applicable U.S. federal laws poses a significant risk to us.
Violations of any U.S. federal laws and regulations could result in significant fines, penalties, administrative sanctions, or settlements arising from civil proceedings conducted by either the U.S. federal government or private citizens. We may also be subject to criminal charges under the CSA, and if convicted could face a variety of penalties including, but not limited to, disgorgement of profits, cessation of business activities or divestiture. Any of these penalties could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and ability to conduct our business, our holding (directly or indirectly) of medical and adult-use cannabis licenses in the U.S., our financial position, operating results, profitability or liquidity or the market price of our publicly-traded shares. In addition, it is difficult for us to estimate the time or resources that would be needed for the investigation, settlement or trial of any such proceedings or charges, and such time or resources could be substantial.
The regulation of cannabis in the U.S. is uncertain.
Our activities are subject to regulation by various state and local governmental authorities. Our business objectives are contingent upon, in part, compliance with regulatory requirements enacted by these governmental authorities and obtaining all regulatory approvals necessary for the sale of our products in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Any delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals would significantly delay our development of markets and products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, although we believe that our operations are currently carried out in accordance with all applicable state and local rules and regulations, no assurance can be given that new rules and regulations will not be enacted or that existing rules and regulations will not be applied in a manner that could limit or curtail our ability to distribute or produce marijuana. Amendments to current laws and regulations governing the importation, distribution, transportation and/or production of marijuana, or more stringent implementation thereof could have a substantial adverse impact on us.
Government inquiries and investigations could harm our business or reputation.
As the regulatory framework for cannabis continues to evolve in the U.S., government officials often exercise broad discretion in deciding how to interpret and apply applicable local, state and federal laws or regulations. In the future, we may receive formal and informal inquiries from or become subject to investigations by various governmental regulatory authorities regarding our business and compliance with federal, state and local laws, regulations, or standards. Any determination or allegation that our products, operations or activities, or the activities of our employees, contractors or agents, are not in compliance with existing laws, regulations or standards, could adversely affect our business in a number of ways. Even if such inquiries or investigations do not result in the imposition of fines, interruptions to our business, loss of suppliers or other third-party relationships, terminations of necessary licenses and permits, the existence of those inquiries or investigations alone could create negative publicity that could harm our business or reputation.
We are constrained by law in our ability to market our products in the jurisdictions in which we operate.
State and local jurisdictions enforce extensive and detailed requirements applicable to cannabis products in their jurisdiction. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) regulates advertising of consumer products generally, imposes requirements regarding the use and content of testimonials and endorsements, and also requires that advertising
claims be adequately substantiated. As such, our brand and portfolio of products must be specifically tailored, and our marketing activities carefully structured, to comply with the state and local regulations, as well as the FTC’s rules and regulations. These restrictions may preclude us from effectively marketing our products and competing for market share, or impose costs on us that cannot be absorbed through increased selling prices for our products.
Anti-Money Laundering Laws in the U.S. may limit access to funds from banks and other financial institutions.
In February 2014, the Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance (which is not law) with respect to financial institutions providing banking services to cannabis businesses, including burdensome due diligence expectations and reporting requirements. While the guidance advised prosecutors not to focus their enforcement efforts on banks and other financial institutions that serve marijuana-related businesses, so long as they meet certain conditions, this guidance does not provide any safe harbors or legal defenses from examination or regulatory or criminal enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (the DOJ), FinCEN, or other federal regulators. Because of this and the fact that the guidance may be amended or revoked at any time, most banks and other financial institutions have not been willing to provide banking services to cannabis-related businesses. In addition to the foregoing, banks may refuse to process debit card payments and credit card companies generally refuse to process credit card payments for cannabis-related businesses. As a result, we may have limited or no access to banking or other financial services in the U.S., and may have to operate our U.S. business on an all-cash basis. If we are unable or limited in our ability to open or maintain bank accounts, obtain other banking services or accept credit card and debit card payments, it may be difficult for us to operate and conduct our business as planned. Although, we are actively pursuing alternatives that ensure our operations will continue to be compliant with the FinCEN guidance (including requirements related to disclosures about cash management and U.S. federal tax reporting), we may not be able to meet all applicable requirements.
We are also subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the U.S. that involve money laundering, financial recordkeeping and proceeds of crime, including the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970 (commonly known as the Bank Secrecy Act), as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by governmental authorities in the U.S.
In the event that any of our operations or related activities in the U.S. were found to be in violation of money laundering legislation or otherwise, those transactions could be viewed as proceeds of crime under one or more of the statutes noted above or any other applicable legislation. This could restrict or otherwise jeopardize our ability to declare or pay dividends or effect other distributions.
The re-classification of cannabis or changes in U.S. controlled substance laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If cannabis is re-classified as a Schedule II or lower controlled substance under the CSA, the ability to conduct research on the medical benefits of cannabis would most likely be more accessible; however, if cannabis is re-classified as a Schedule II or lower controlled substance, the resulting re-classification would result in the need for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) if medical claims are made about our medical cannabis products. As a result of such a re-classification, the manufacture, importation, exportation, domestic distribution, storage, sale and use of such products could become subject to a significant degree of regulation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (the DEA). In that case, we may be required to be registered to perform these activities and have the security, control, recordkeeping, reporting and inventory mechanisms required by the DEA to prevent drug loss and diversion. Obtaining the necessary registrations may result in delay of the manufacturing or distribution of our products. The DEA conducts periodic inspections of registered establishments that handle controlled substances. Failure to maintain compliance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The DEA may seek civil penalties, refuse to renew necessary registrations, or initiate proceedings to restrict, suspend or revoke those registrations. In certain circumstances, violations could lead to criminal proceedings.
Potential regulation by the FDA could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Should the U.S. federal government legalize cannabis, it is possible that the FDA would seek to regulate it under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938. Additionally, the FDA may issue rules and regulations, including good manufacturing practices related to the growth, cultivation, harvesting and processing of medical cannabis. Clinical trials may be needed to verify efficacy and safety of our medical cannabis products. It is also possible that the FDA would require that facilities where medical-use cannabis is grown register with the agency and comply with certain federally prescribed regulations. In the event that some or all of these regulations are imposed, the impact on the cannabis industry is uncertain and could include the imposition of new costs, requirements, and prohibitions. If we are unable to comply with the regulations or registration as prescribed by the FDA, it may have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
We could be materially adversely impacted due to restrictions under U.S. border entry laws.
Because cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law, those investing in Canadian companies with operations in the U.S. cannabis industry could face detention, denial of entry or lifetime bans from the U.S. as a result of their business associations with U.S. cannabis businesses. Entry into the U.S. happens at the sole discretion of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers on duty, and these officers have wide latitude to ask questions to determine the admissibility of a non-U.S. citizen or foreign national. The government of Canada has warned travelers on its website that previous use of cannabis, or any substance prohibited by U.S. federal law, could mean denial of entry to the U.S. Business or financial involvement in the cannabis industry in the U.S. could also be reason enough for denial of entry into the U.S. In September 2018, the CBP released a statement outlining its current position with respect to enforcement of the laws of the U.S. It stated that Canada’s legalization of cannabis will not change CBP enforcement of U.S. laws regarding controlled substances. According to the statement, because cannabis continues to be a controlled substance under U.S. law, working in or facilitating the proliferation of the marijuana industry in U.S. states where it is legal under state law may affect admissibility to the U.S. In October 2018, the CBP released an additional statement regarding the admissibility of Canadian citizens working in the legal cannabis industry in Canada. CBP stated that a Canadian citizen working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal cannabis industry in Canada who seeks to come into the U.S. for reasons unrelated to the cannabis industry will generally be admissible to the U.S.; however, if such person is found to be coming into the U.S. for reasons related to the cannabis industry, such person may be deemed inadmissible. As a result, the CBP has affirmed that employees, directors, officers and managers of and investors in companies involved in business activities related to cannabis in the U.S. (such as Jushi), who are not U.S. citizens face the risk of being barred from entry into the U.S. for life.
As a cannabis company, we may be subject to heightened scrutiny in Canada and the U.S. that could materially adversely impact the liquidity of the Subordinate Voting Shares.
Our existing operations in the U.S., and any future operations, may become the subject of heightened scrutiny by regulators, stock exchanges and other authorities in the U.S. and Canada.
Given the heightened risk profile associated with cannabis in the U.S., The Canadian Depository of Securities (CDS) may implement procedures or protocols that would prohibit or significantly impair the ability of CDS to settle trades for companies that have cannabis businesses or assets in the U.S.
In February 2018, following discussions with the Canadian Securities Administrators and recognized Canadian securities exchanges, the TMX Group, the parent company of CDS, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which we refer to as the TMX MOU, with Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc., the CSE, the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the TSX Venture Exchange. The TMX MOU outlines the parties’ understanding of Canada’s regulatory framework applicable to the rules, procedures, and regulatory oversight of the exchanges and CDS as it relates to issuers with cannabis-related activities in the U.S. The TMX MOU confirms, with respect to the clearing of listed securities, that CDS relies on the exchanges to review the conduct of listed issuers. As a result, there is no CDS ban on the clearing of securities of issuers with cannabis-related activities in the U.S. However, there can be no assurances given that this
approach to regulation will continue in the future. If such a ban were to be implemented, it would have a material adverse effect on the ability of holders of the Subordinate Voting Shares to settle trades. In particular, the Subordinate Voting Shares would become highly illiquid until an alternative was implemented and investors would have no ability to effect a trade of the Subordinate Voting Shares through the facilities of a stock exchange.
We may not be able to locate and obtain the rights to operate at preferred locations.
In Massachusetts and other states, the local municipality has authority to choose where any cannabis establishment will be located. These authorized areas are frequently removed from other retail operations. Because the cannabis industry remains illegal under U.S. federal law, the disadvantaged tax status of businesses deriving their income from cannabis, and the reluctance of the banking industry to support cannabis businesses, it may be difficult for us to locate and obtain the rights to operate at various preferred locations. Property owners may violate their mortgages by leasing to us, and those property owners that are willing to allow use of their facilities may require payment of above fair market value rents to reflect the scarcity of such locations and the risks and costs of providing such facilities.
As a cannabis business, we are subject to certain tax provisions that have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Under Section 280E of the Code “no deduction or credit shall be allowed for any amount paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business if such trade or business (or the activities which comprise such trade or business) consists of trafficking in controlled substances (within the meaning of schedule I and II of the Controlled Substances Act) which is prohibited by Federal law or the law of any State in which such trade or business is conducted.” This provision has been applied by the IRS to cannabis operations, prohibiting companies engaged in such operations from deducting expenses directly associated with the sale of cannabis. Section 280E of the Code may have a lesser impact on cannabis cultivation and manufacturing operations than on sales operations. Section 280E of the Code and related IRS enforcement activity has had a significant impact on the operations of cannabis companies. As a result of Section 280E of the Code, an otherwise profitable business may, in fact, operate at a loss, after taking into account its U.S. income tax expenses.
We may not have access to U.S. bankruptcy protections available to non-cannabis businesses.
Because cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA, many courts have denied cannabis businesses federal bankruptcy protections, making it difficult for lenders to be made whole on their investments in the cannabis industry in the event of a bankruptcy. If we were to experience a bankruptcy, there is no guarantee that U.S. federal bankruptcy protections would be available to us, which would have a material adverse effect on us and may make it more difficult for us to obtain debt financing.
There is doubt regarding our ability to enforce contracts.
It is a fundamental principle of law that a contract will not be enforced if it involves a violation of law or public policy. Because cannabis remains illegal at a federal level in the U.S., judges in multiple states have on a number of occasions refused to enforce contracts for the repayment of money when the loan was used in connection with activities that violate U.S. federal law, even if there is no violation of state law. There remains doubt and uncertainty that we will be able to legally enforce our contracts. If we are unable to realize the benefits of or otherwise enforce the contracts into which we enter, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to limits on our ability to own the licenses necessary to operate our business, which will adversely affect our ability to grow our business and market share in certain states.
In certain states, the cannabis laws and regulations limit not only the number of cannabis licenses issued, but also the number of cannabis licenses that one person or entity may own in that state. For example, in Massachusetts, no person or entity may have an ownership interest in, or control over, more than three medical licenses or three adult-use licenses in any category, which include cultivation, product manufacturing, transport or retail. Such limitations on the acquisition of
ownership of additional licenses within certain states may limit our ability to grow organically or to increase our market share in affected states.
We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property.
As long as cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA, the benefit of certain federal laws and protections that may be available to most businesses, such as federal trademark and patent protection, may not be available to us. As a result, our intellectual property may never be adequately or sufficiently protected against the use or misappropriation by third parties. In addition, since the regulatory framework of the cannabis industry is in a constant state of flux, we can provide no assurance that we will ever obtain any protection for our intellectual property, whether on a federal, state or local level.
Our property is subject to risk of civil asset forfeiture.
Because the cannabis industry remains illegal under U.S. federal law, any property owned by participants in the cannabis industry that is either used in the course of conducting or comprises the proceeds of a cannabis business could be subject to seizure by law enforcement and subsequent civil asset forfeiture. Even if the owner of the property were never charged with a crime, the property in question could still be seized and subject to an administrative proceeding by which, with minimal process, it could become subject to forfeiture.
We may be at a higher risk of IRS audit.
We believe there is a greater likelihood that the Internal Revenue Service will audit the tax returns of cannabis-related businesses and/or businesses who deferred estimated tax payments. Non-payment can result in asset liens, etc. by the Internal Revenue Service. Any such audit of our tax returns could result in our being required to pay additional tax, interest and penalties, as well as incremental accounting and legal expenses, which could be material.
We may be unable to obtain adequate insurance coverage.
We have obtained insurance coverage with respect to workers’ compensation, general liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, fire and other similar policies customarily obtained for businesses to the extent commercially appropriate; however, because we are engaged in and operate within the cannabis industry, there are exclusions and additional difficulties and complexities associated with our insurance coverage that could cause us to suffer uninsured losses, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and profitability. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or fully utilize such insurance coverage, if necessary.
We could be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liabilities under RICO.
RICO criminalizes the use of any profits from certain defined “racketeering” activities in interstate commerce. While intended to provide an additional cause of action against organized crime, due to the fact that cannabis is illegal under U.S. federal law, the production and sale of cannabis qualifies cannabis related businesses as “racketeering” as defined by RICO. As such, all officers, managers and owners in a cannabis related business could be subject to criminal prosecution under RICO, which carries substantial criminal penalties.
RICO can create civil liability as well: persons harmed in their business or property by actions which would constitute racketeering under RICO often have a civil cause of action against such “racketeers,” and can claim triple their amount of estimated damages in attendant court proceedings. Jushi or its subsidiaries, as well as its officers, managers and owners could all be subject to civil claims under RICO.
Risks Related to Owning Jushi’s Subordinate Voting Shares
Return on Subordinate Voting Shares is not guaranteed.
There is no guarantee that the Subordinate Voting Shares will earn any positive return in the short-term or long-term. A holding of Subordinate Voting Shares is speculative and involves a high degree of risk and should be undertaken only by holders whose financial resources are sufficient to enable them to assume such risks and who have no need for immediate liquidity in their investment. A holding of Subordinate Voting Shares is appropriate only for holders who have the capacity to absorb a loss of some or all of their holdings.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our shareholders.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue, we may finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements or other sources. We do not currently have any committed external source of funds. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.
To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate product candidate development or future commercialization efforts
Sales of substantial amounts of Subordinate Voting Shares by our existing shareholders in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares.
Sales of a substantial number of Subordinate Voting Shares in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, or the availability of such securities for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for the Subordinate Voting Shares. As of April 12, 2023, we have an aggregate of 196,633,371 Subordinate Voting Shares issued and outstanding (excluding securities convertible into or exercisable for Subordinate Voting Shares). A decline in the market prices of the Subordinate Voting Shares could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities should we desire to do so.
The market price for the Subordinate Voting Shares has been and is likely to continue to be volatile.
The market price for the Subordinate Voting Shares may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, many of which will be beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations; (ii) recommendations by securities research analysts; (iii) changes in the economic performance or market valuations of companies in the cannabis industry; (iv) additions or departures of our executive officers and other key personnel; (v) release or expiration of transfer restrictions on our issued and outstanding shares; (vi) regulatory changes affecting the cannabis industry generally and our business and operations; (vii) announcements by us and our competitors of developments and other material events; (viii) fluctuations in the costs of vital production materials and services; (ix) changes in global financial markets and global economies and general market conditions, such as interest rates and pharmaceutical product price volatility; (x) significant acquisitions or business combinations, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by or involving us or our competitors; (xi) operating and share price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us or from a lack of market comparable companies; (xii) false or negative reports issued by individuals or companies who have taken aggressive short sale positions; and (xiii) news reports relating to trends, concerns, technological or competitive developments, regulatory changes and other related issues in our industry or target markets.
Financial markets have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market prices of equity securities of companies and that have often been unrelated to the operating performance, underlying asset values or prospects of those companies. Accordingly, the market price of the Subordinate Voting Shares may decline even if our operating results, underlying asset values or prospects have not changed.
These factors, as well as other related factors, may cause decreases in asset values that are deemed to be other than temporary, which may result in impairment losses. There can be no assurance that continuing fluctuations in price and volume will not occur. If such increased levels of volatility and market turmoil continue, our operations could be adversely impacted, and the trading price of the Subordinate Voting Shares could be materially adversely affected.
There may not be sufficient liquidity in the markets for our Subordinate Voting Shares.
Our Subordinate Voting Shares are listed for trading on the CSE under the trading symbol “JUSH” and quoted on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol “JUSHF.” The liquidity of any market for the shares of our Subordinate Voting Shares will depend on a number of factors, including:
• the number of shareholders;
• our operating performance and financial condition;
• the market for similar securities;
• the extent of coverage by securities or industry analysts; and
• the interest of securities dealers in making a market in the shares.
There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Subordinate Voting Shares, will be sustained.
We will be subject to increased costs as a result of being a U.S. reporting company.
As a public issuer, we are subject to the reporting requirements and rules and regulations under the applicable Canadian and American securities laws and rules of any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed from time to time. Additional or new regulatory requirements may be adopted in the future. The requirements of existing and potential future rules and regulations will increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and may also place undue strain on our personnel, systems and resources, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The provisions of our articles of incorporation requiring exclusive forum in the courts of the province of British Columbia and appellate courts therefrom for certain disputes may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers.
Pursuant to section 28 of our articles of incorporation (the Articles), unless we approve or consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the province of British Columbia and appellate courts therefrom shall be the sole and exclusive forum for: (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director or officer of our Company to our Company, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) or the Notice of Articles or Articles of our Company (as either may be amended from time to time); or (d) any action asserting a claim otherwise related to the relationships among our Company, its affiliates and their respective shareholders, directors and/or officers, but this does not include claims related to the business carried on by our Company or such affiliates; provided however it is uncertain whether such provision would apply to actions arising under U.S. federal securities laws, and if it does, whether a British Columbia Court would enforce such provision since in accordance with Section 27 of the Exchange Act, United States federal courts shall have jurisdiction over all suits and any action brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and that in accordance with Section 22 of the Securities Act, United States federal and state courts shall have concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
The choice of forum provision may limit the ability of our shareholders to bring a claim in a forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, and may discourage such lawsuits. If a British Columbia court ruled the choice of forum provision was inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs to resolve such action in other jurisdictions. Our shareholders will not be deemed, by operation of the choice of forum provision, to have waived our obligation to comply with all applicable United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
We are an “emerging growth company” and will be able take advantage of reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our Subordinate Voting Shares less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act) and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.235 billion, (ii) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three year period.
We intend to take advantage of these reporting exemptions described above until we are no longer an emerging growth company. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.
We cannot predict if investors will find our Subordinate Voting Shares less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Subordinate Voting Shares less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our Subordinate Voting Shares and the price of our Subordinate Voting Shares may be more volatile.
Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be effective, and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify as to their effectiveness, which could have a significant and adverse effect on our business and reputation.
As a U.S. public company, we will be required to evaluate our internal controls over financial reporting following the applicable phase-in period. When we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as defined by the JOBS Act, we will also be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404. As of the date of this Form 10-K, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems of internal controls. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and any remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue an adverse opinion due to ineffective internal controls over financial reporting and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. In addition, we may be required to incur costs in improving our internal control system and the hiring of additional personnel. Any such action could negatively affect our results of operations and cash flows.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which, if not corrected, could affect the reliability of our consolidated financial statements and have other adverse consequences.
A material weakness is a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We previously identified and disclosed deficiencies that constitute material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as follows:
•Insufficient accounting resources, inadequate level of precision in the performance of review and monitoring controls, including management review controls, or ineffective communication, as it relates to: financial reporting, accounting, due to the restatement of the statement of cash flows; accounting and valuation for complex financial instruments (debt and equity), earnings per share, cash and financial close process relating to cash reconciliation, inventory, property plant and equipment (“PPE”), accruals, leases, revenue, impairment and business combinations.
•Insufficient information technology general controls, as it relates to: lack of user access controls, change management, passwords, access controls reviews, backup and cybersecurity losses and vulnerabilities.
•Internal controls over financial reporting, and accounting for PPE and related accounts payable and accruals due to insufficient accounting resources and inadequate level of precision in the performance of review controls. Specifically, the material weakness related to accounting for PPE, leases and related accounts payable and accruals is associated with insufficient cut-off procedures to ensure all posted and/or unposted invoices are captured in the period the services were rendered.
•Additionally, management determined that the Company also have material weaknesses in its accounts payable process relating to vendor setup and maintenance resulting from the Company’s finding of phishing attacks during 2022.
•Lack of projected financial covenant calculations and related impact on financial statement presentation.
We are in the process of remediating the material weaknesses, as described in Part II, Item 9A “Controls and Procedures”. While significant progress has been made to enhance our internal control over financial reporting, we are still in the process of building and enhancing our processes, procedures, and controls. Additional time is required to complete the remediation of the material weaknesses and the assessment to ensure the sustainability of these remediation actions. There can be no assurance that the additional processes, procedures, and controls that we have implemented while we work to remediate the material weaknesses will be sufficient or that other material weaknesses will not arise in the future. If the additional processes, procedures, and controls that we have implemented while we work to remediate the material weaknesses are not sufficient, or if we identify additional control deficiencies that individually or together constitute significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, our ability to accurately record, process, and report financial information and consequently, our ability to prepare financial statements within required time periods, could be adversely affected. Failure to properly remediate the material weaknesses or the discovery of additional control deficiencies could result in violations of applicable securities laws, CSE listing requirements, subject us to litigation and investigations, negatively affect investor confidence in our financial statements, and adversely impact our stock price and ability to access capital markets. If not remediated, these material weaknesses could result in material misstatements to our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, or in delayed filing of required periodic reports, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, our share price.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
Our corporate headquarters are located in Boca Raton, Florida. The following table set forth the Company’s principal cultivation and processing properties as of December 31, 2022.
| | | | | | | | |
Production Properties |
Description | Location | Leased / Owned |
Columbus Facility | Columbus, OH | Leased |
Lakeville Facility | Lakeville, MA | Leased |
Las Vegas Facility | Las Vegas, NV | Owned |
Manassas Facility | Manassas, VA | Owned |
Reno Facility | Reno, NV | Leased |
Scranton Facility | Scranton, PA | Leased |
Sparks Facility | Sparks, NV | Leased |
Toledo Facility | Toledo, OH | Owned |
In addition, we have thirty-five cannabis dispensaries located in California (three), Illinois (four), Massachusetts (two), Nevada (four), Pennsylvania (eighteen), and Virginia (four). Most of our locations are leased from third parties, which have expiration dates between 2023 and 2052. We believe that our facilities and expansion plans are adequate for our current and anticipated needs.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may become involved in litigation relating to claims arising from the ordinary course of business. For a description of our legal proceedings, refer to Claims and Litigation in Note 22 - Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not Applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The Subordinate Voting Shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) under the symbol “JUSH”. The following table sets forth trading information for the Subordinate Voting Shares for the periods indicated, as quoted on the CSE.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Period | | Low Trading Price (C$) | | High Trading Price (C$) | | Volume |
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | | | | | | |
Fourth Quarter (through December 31, 2022) | | 0.93 | | 3.21 | | 18,291,589 |
Third Quarter (September 30, 2022) | | 1.67 | | 2.88 | | 6,364,625 |
Second Quarter (June 30, 2022) | | 1.80 | | 3.92 | | 9,927,620 |
First Quarter (March 31, 2022) | | 3.47 | | 6.05 | | 18,178,654 |
| | | | | | |
Year Ended December 31, 2021 | | | | | | |
Fourth Quarter (through December 31, 2021) | | 4.10 | | 6.93 | | 15,719,336 |
Third Quarter (through September 30, 2021) | | 4.87 | | 7.55 | | 9,905,044 |
Second Quarter (through June 30, 2021) | | 6.45 | | 9.21 | | 10,866,972 |
First Quarter (through March 31, 2021) | | 6.44 | | 11.59 | | 40,916,222 |
The Subordinate Voting Shares are also traded on the United States Over the Counter Stock Market (“OTCQX”) under the symbol “JUSHF”. The following table sets forth trading information for the Subordinate Voting Shares for the periods indicated, as quoted on the OTCQX. Such over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Period | | Low Trading Price (US$) | | High Trading Price (US$) | | Volume |
Year Ended December 31, 2022 | | | | | | |
Fourth Quarter (through December 31, 2022) | | 0.69 | | 2.34 | | 18,386,123 |
Third Quarter (through September 30, 2022) | | 1.17 | | 2.25 | | 8,603,450 |
Second Quarter (through June 30, 2022) | | 1.35 | | 3.12 | | 15,121,912 |
First Quarter (through March 31, 2022) | | 2.65 | | 4.78 | | 19,662,161 |
| | | | | | |
Year Ended December 31, 2021 | | | | | | |
Fourth Quarter (through December 31, 2021) | | 3.09 | | 5.53 | | 23,044,455 |
Third Quarter (through September 30, 2021) | | 3.8 | | 6.04 | | 21,238,765 |
Second Quarter (through June 30, 2021) | | 5.19 | | 7.49 | | 22,755,649 |
First Quarter (through March 31, 2021) | | 5.05 | | 9.06 | | 60,884,056 |
Shareholders
As of April 12, 2023, there are 252 holders of record of our Subordinate Voting Shares.
Dividends
We have not declared dividends or distributions on Subordinate Voting Shares in the past. In addition, the Trust Indenture governing the Second Lien Notes and the Acquisition Facility, as defined and described in more in Note 12 - Debt of our financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, among other things, limit our ability to declare or pay dividends or make certain other payments. We currently intend to reinvest all future earnings to finance the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not intend to pay dividends on Subordinate Voting Shares in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on the financial condition, business environment, operating results, capital requirements, any contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends (including the Second Lien Notes and the Acquisition Facility) and any other factors that the board of directors deems relevant.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The information required in response to Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K is set forth in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K which is incorporated herein by reference.
Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return on Jushi Holdings Inc. Subordinate Voting Shares from June 18, 2019, when Jushi Holdings Inc began trading on the CSE, through December 31, 2022, with the comparable cumulative return of the Russell 2000 Index and a selected peer group of companies. The comparison assumes all dividends have been reinvested (if any) and an initial investment of $100 on June 18, 2019. The returns of each company in the peer group have been weighted to reflect their market capitalizations. All amounts below are disclosed in U.S. Dollars. The stock price performance on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
The following performance graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under the Securities Act or Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.
Below are the specific companies included in the peer group.
| | | | | | | | |
•Trulieve Cannabis Corp | •TerrAscend Corp. | •Verano Holdings Corp. |
•MARIMED INC. | •Acreage Holdings, Inc. | •Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. |
•4Front Ventures Corp. | •Cresco Labs Inc. | •Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. |
•Green Thumb Industries Inc. | | |
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
The following information represents securities we sold during Q4 2022 that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and not previously reported in a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or in a Current Report on Form 8-K. Included are new issues, securities issued in exchange for services and securities issued upon exercise or conversion of other securities. We sold all of the securities listed below pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, or Regulation D or Regulation S promulgated thereunder.
•In October 2022, we issued 6,767 subordinate voting shares pursuant to a net exercise of options granted to a former employee.
•In November 2022, we issued 910,000 subordinate voting shares to the holder of a convertible promissory note pursuant to a mandatory conversion feature.
•In December 2022, we issued Chief Financial Officer Michelle Mosier 200,000 warrants for consultancy services prior to her appointment as our Chief Financial Officer, and 1,000,000 warrants to a consultant for consultancy services.
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (the “Annual Financial Statements”). Unless the context indicates or requires otherwise, the terms “Jushi”, “the Company”, “we”, “us” and “our” refers to Jushi Holdings Inc. and its controlled entities. The Annual Financial Statements have been prepared by management and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), and all amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should read “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We have elected to omit in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K, discussion on the earliest of the three years (the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020) covered by the Annual Financial Statements presented. Refer to the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of Jushi Holdings Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended and declared effective by the SEC on August 12, 2022 (“S-1”), and was also filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) on November 21, 2022.
Company Overview
We are a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator engaged in retail, distribution, cultivation, and processing in both medical and adult-use markets. We are focused on building a diverse portfolio of cannabis assets through opportunistic investments and pursuing application opportunities in attractive limited license jurisdictions. We have targeted assets in highly populated, limited license medical markets on a trajectory toward adult-use legalization, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, markets that are in the process of transitioning to adult-use, namely Virginia, and limited license, fast-growing, large adult-use markets, such as Illinois, Nevada and Massachusetts, and certain municipalities of California.
Refer to “Item I. Business” section and to our Annual Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about us.
Factors Affecting our Performance and Related Trends
Competition and Pricing Pressure
The cannabis industry is subject to significant competition and pricing pressures, which is often market specific and can be caused by an oversupply of cannabis in the market, and may be transitory from period to period. We may experience significant competitive pricing pressures as well as competitive products and service providers in the markets in which we operate. Several significant competitors may offer products and/or services with prices that may match or are lower than ours. We believe that the products and services we offer are generally competitive with those offered by other cannabis companies. It is possible that one or more of our competitors could develop a significant research advantage over us that allows them to provide superior products or pricing, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Continued pricing pressure due to competition, increased cannabis supply or shifts in customer preferences could adversely impact our customer base or pricing structure, resulting in a material impact on our results of operations, or asset impairments in future periods. For further discussion on the impact of asset impairments during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, refer to Note 8 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets of our Annual Financial Statements.
COVID-19
In March 2020, the World Health Organization categorized coronavirus disease 2019 (together with its variants “COVID-19”) as a pandemic. COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S. and other countries across the world, and the duration and severity of its effects and those of its variants are currently unknown. To date, our financial condition
and results of operations have not been materially impacted by COVID-19. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our future results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with certainty, including possible future outbreaks of new strains of the virus and governmental and consumer responses to such future developments.
Recent Developments
(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars)
The following represents our recent developments since the filing of our Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022, which was filed on November 21, 2022. For information on our developments in the earlier part of 2022, also refer to (i) Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022, which was filed on September 26, 2022, and (ii) Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 Registration Statement, which was filed on August 8, 2022. The Form 10-Qs and Form S-1 may also be accessed on SEDAR.
Manassas loan agreement
On April 6, 2023, we entered into a loan agreement with FVCbank for a commercial loan in an aggregate principal amount of $20,000 (the “Loan”). The Loan has a five (5) year term and is principally secured by the Company’s cultivation and manufacturing facility located in Manassas, Virginia. The Loan will bear interest based on the 30-day average secured overnight financing rate plus 3.55%, with a floor rate of not less than 8.25%.
Opened 37th Retail Location Nationwide and Fifth Virginia Dispensary
In January 2023, we expanded our retail footprint in Virginia with the opening of our 37th retail location nationally, our fifth Virginia medical cannabis dispensary located in Arlington. The medical cannabis dispensary is operating under the retail brand Beyond Hello™.
Opened 36th Retail Location Nationwide and First Ohio Dispensary
In January 2023, we expanded our retail footprint in Ohio with the opening of our 36th retail location nationally, our first Ohio medical cannabis dispensary as well as our fifth vertically integrated state-level operation located in Cincinnati. The medical cannabis dispensary is operating under the retail brand Beyond Hello™.
Strengthened Board and Senior Leadership
In January 2023, we appointed Michelle Mosier as our Chief Financial Officer effective January 16, 2023. Additionally, we announced the resignation of Leonardo “Leo” Garcia-Berg from his position as Chief Operations Officer, effective January 20, 2023. In addition, we appointed Nichole Upshaw as Chief People Officer effective December 1, 2022, and designated Shaunna Patrick as Chief Commercial Director and Trent Woloveck as Chief Strategy Director.
CEO Received Options
In December 2022, we announced that CEO, Chairman, and Founder, Jim Cacioppo, was granted 3,000,000 options to acquire Class B subordinate voting shares ("Subordinate Voting Shares") under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan of the Issuer (the “Option Grant”). Following the Option Grant, Mr. Cacioppo holds in the aggregate and on an as-converted basis, approximately 19.24% of the issued and outstanding Subordinate Voting Shares on a non-diluted basis.
Debt Redemption and Financing
In December 2022, we redeemed all our outstanding 10% senior secured notes (“Senior Notes”) in the amount of $74,935. The redemption of the Senior Notes were funded in part by the issuance of 12% second lien notes (“Second Lien Notes”) in December 2022 in an aggregate amount of $73,061. The Senior Notes redemption resulted in a loss of $18,858. Refer to Note 12 - Debt of the Annual Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on the Senior Notes redemption and the Second Lien Notes issuance. After the December 2022 closing, James Cacioppo, the Company’s CEO, Chairman and Founder, entered into an amendment to his employment agreement
pursuant to which in lieu of cash, Mr. Cacioppo’s 2022 annual bonus was paid in Second Lien Notes and warrants (such warrants to be priced and issued as soon as practicable in accordance with US and Canadian securities laws).
Results of Operations
(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share amounts)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Year Ended December 31, | | |
| | | | | | | 2022 | | 2021 | | % Change |
REVENUE, NET | | | | | | | $ | 284,284 | | | $ | 209,292 | | | 36 | % |
COST OF GOODS SOLD | | | | | | | (188,806) | | | (125,898) | | | 50 | % |
GROSS PROFIT | | | | | | | $ | 95,478 | | | $ | 83,394 | | | 14 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
OPERATING EXPENSES | | | | | | | | | | | |
Selling, general and administrative | | | | | | | $ | 156,166 | | | $ | 112,815 | | | 38 | % |
Asset impairments | | | | | | | 159,645 | | 6,344 | | 2416 | % |
Total operating expenses | | | | | | | $ | 315,811 | | | $ | 119,159 | | | 165 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
LOSS FROM OPERATIONS | | | | | | | $ | (220,333) | | | $ | (35,765) | | | 516 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE) : | | | | | | | | | | | |
Interest expense, net | | | | | | | $ | (45,591) | | | $ | (30,610) | | | 49 | % |
Fair value gains (losses) on derivative warrants | | | | | | | 91,887 | | | 105,170 | | | (13) | % |
Other, net | | | | | | | (19,839) | | | 8,309 | | | (339) | % |
Total other income (expense), net | | | | | | | $ | 26,457 | | | $ | 82,869 | | | (68) | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX | | | | | | | $ | (193,876) | | | $ | 47,104 | | | (512) | % |
Income tax expense | | | | | | | (8,448) | | | (29,625) | | | (71) | % |
NET (LOSS) INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME | | | | | | | $ | (202,324) | | | $ | 17,479 | | | (1258) | % |
Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests | | | | | | | — | | | (2,772) | | | (100) | % |
NET (LOSS) INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO JUSHI SHAREHOLDERS | | | | | | | $ | (202,324) | | | $ | 20,251 | | | (1099) | % |
(LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE - BASIC | | | | | | | $ | (1.06) | | | $ | 0.12 | | | (983) | % |
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic | | | | | | | 190,021,550 | | | 170,292,035 | | | 12 | % |
(LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE - DILUTED | | | | | | | $ | (1.44) | | | $ | (0.42) | | | 243 | % |
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted | | | | | | | 204,235,432 | | | 201,610,251 | | | 1 | % |
Revenue, Net
The following table presents revenue by type for the periods indicated:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, | | | | |
| 2022 | | 2021 | | $ Change | Year Ended | % Change |
Retail cannabis | $ | 261,016 | | | $ | 195,085 | | | $ | 65,931 | | | 34 | % |
Wholesale cannabis | 23,160 | | | 13,792 | | | 9,368 | | | 68 | % |
Other | 108 | | | 415 | | | (307) | | | (74) | % |
Total revenue, net | $ | 284,284 | | | $ | 209,292 | | | $ | 74,992 | | | 36 | % |
Revenue, net, for the year ended December 31, 2022 totaled $284,284, as compared to $209,292 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $74,992, or 36%.
The increase in retail revenue is due primarily to new dispensary openings from build outs and acquisitions. We acquired Nature’s Remedy in Massachusetts during September 2021, and Apothecarium and NuLeaf in Nevada during March 2022 and April 2022, respectively, and opened new Beyond Hello™ dispensaries in Pennsylvania and Virginia. In 2022, the Company opened a total of seven stores, and ended the year with thirty-five operating dispensaries in six states, as compared to twenty-eight in five states in 2021.
The increase in wholesale revenue is primarily attributable to increased cultivation and processing activities at our grower processor facilities: (i) in Massachusetts from the acquisition of Nature’s Remedy; (ii) in Nevada from the acquisition of NuLeaf; and (iii) in Virginia from operations at our Dalitso facility, which commenced in the third quarter of 2021.
Gross Profit
Gross profit totaled $95,478 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $83,394 for year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $12,084, or 14%. Gross profit margin declined to 34% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 40% in the prior year. During the fourth quarter of 2022, we incurred a non-cash inventory charge of $9,418 that reduced our gross margin by 331 basis points. Gross profit margin decreased primarily due to: (i) infrastructure and headcount investments in our wholesale business that continue to have a transitional impact on our results, (ii) slower than expected growth in our wholesale operations as other operators dedicated more shelf space to their own brands resulting in price compression, (iii) market price compression, and (iv) the sell through of inventory acquired in the acquisitions of Nature's Remedy, Apothecarium and NuLeaf, which had a fair value step-up. Gross margins were also impacted by the increased promotional activity at retail operations in Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $315,811, as compared to $119,159 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $196,652, or 165%. The following table presents information of our operating expenses for the periods indicated:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, | | | | |
| 2022 | | 2021 | | $ Change | | % Change |
Salaries, wages and employee related expenses | $ | 71,237 | | | $ | 58,228 | | | $ | 13,009 | | | 22 | % |
Share-based compensation expense | 23,072 | | | 14,506 | | | 8,566 | | | 59 | % |
Rent and related expenses | 13,162 | | | 9,722 | | | 3,440 | | | 35 | % |
Depreciation and amortization expense | 12,724 | | | 5,805 | | | 6,919 | | | 119 | % |
Professional fees and legal expenses | 10,371 | | | 6,507 | | | 3,864 | | | 59 | % |
Indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment | 111,515 | | | — | | | 111,515 | | | NM |
Goodwill impairment | 39,643 | | 1,783 | | 37,860 | | 2123 | % |
Tangible long-lived asset impairment | 8,487 | | | 4,561 | | | 3,926 | | | 86 | % |
Other expenses (1) | 25,599 | | | 18,047 | | | 7,552 | | | 42 | % |
Total operating expenses | $ | 315,811 | | | $ | 119,159 | | | $ | 196,652 | | | 165 | % |
(1) Other expenses are primarily comprised of marketing and selling expenses, insurance costs, administrative and application fee, software and technology costs, travel, entertainment and conferences and other.
The increase in total operating expenses is primarily due to impairment charges and an increase in employee-related costs. The impairment charges relate to our operations in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Refer to Note 8 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets of our Annual Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on the impairment charges.
Salaries, wages, and employee-related expenses increased due to an increase in the number of employees to support our ongoing growth and the impact of our recent acquisitions. Share-based compensation expense increased primarily due to stock options granted to new employees and management in 2022. The total depreciation and amortization recorded in operating expenses and cost of goods sold for 2022 increased due in part to: (i) depreciation and amortization related to property, plant and equipment (“PP&E”) and amortizable intangible assets that were acquired with the 2022 acquisition of NuLeaf and Apothecarium; (ii) a full year of depreciation and amortization in 2022 for PP&E and amortizable intangible assets that were acquired in connection with the 2021 acquisition of Nature’s Remedy, Organic Solutions of the Desert, LLC, OhiGrow, LLC and Grover Beach; (iii) accelerated depreciation for certain PP&E for which the useful lives were shortened; and (iv) depreciation associated with PP&E that were purchased and/or placed in service during 2022. Furthermore, the fourth quarter of 2022 was impacted by depreciation relating to fair value measurement period adjustment for NuLeaf which increased PP&E, and as such resulted in catch-up depreciation expense. Rent and related expenses increased primarily due to the additions in finance lease right-of-use assets, and investment in our infrastructure to support our growth, as well as the impact of our recent acquisitions. Professional fees and legal expenses increased primarily due to our transition to US GAAP accounting and reporting and costs associated with our registration with the SEC, which was completed in August 2022.
Other Income (Expense)
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net, was $45,591 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $30,610 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $14,981, or 49%. The increase in interest expense, net is due primarily to a higher overall debt balance due in part to funding of our recent acquisitions as well as higher finance lease obligations.
Fair Value Gains on Derivatives
Fair value gains on derivatives was $91,887 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $105,170 for the year ended December 31, 2021. Fair value gains on derivatives include the fair value changes relating to the derivative warrants liability. The derivative warrants are required to be remeasured at fair value at each reporting period. The fair
value changes in derivatives for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were primarily attributable to the movement in our stock price during the corresponding period.
Other, Net
Other, net, was an expense of $19,839 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to an income of $8,309 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase in expense of approximately $28,148, or 339%. Other, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily related to a loss of $18,858 on redemptions of the Senior Notes. Other, net for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes a gain of $10,350 on a legal settlement primarily relating to a breach of contract case involving San Felasco Nurseries, Inc. (the “SFN Litigation”), a gain of $1,216 on investments and investment income from mutual funds, and $558 in other miscellaneous income, partially offset by losses of $3,815 on the redemptions of Senior Notes.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense was $8,448 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $29,625 for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $21,177, or 71%. The decrease in income tax expense is primarily due to a reduction in taxable gross profit, and impairment charges associated with our California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania operations.
Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliation
In addition to providing financial measurements based on GAAP, we provide additional financial metrics that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures, to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for financial and operational decision making, for planning and forecasting purposes and to evaluate our financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (each as defined below). We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect our ongoing business by excluding the effects of expenses that are not reflective of our operating business performance and allow for meaningful comparisons and analysis of trends in our business. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies. As there are no standardized methods of calculating these non-GAAP measures, our methods may differ from those used by others, and accordingly, the use of these measures may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by others, thus limiting their usefulness. Accordingly, these non-GAAP measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are financial measures that are not defined under GAAP. We define EBITDA as net income (loss), or “earnings”, before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA before: (i) non-cash share-based compensation expense and other one-time charges; (ii) inventory-related adjustments; (iii) fair value changes in derivatives; (iv) other (income)/expense items; (v) transaction costs; (vi) asset impairment; (vii) loss on debt extinguishment; and (viii) start-up costs. These financial measures are metrics that have been adjusted from the GAAP net income (loss) measure in an effort to provide readers with a normalized metric in making comparisons more meaningful across the cannabis industry, as well as to remove non-recurring, irregular and one-time items that may otherwise distort the GAAP net income measure. Other companies in our industry may calculate this measure differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.
Reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Non- GAAP Measures)
The table below reconciles net (loss) income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated.
(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Year Ended December 31, |
| | | | | 2022 | | 2021 |
NET (LOSS) INCOME (1) | | | | | $ | (202,324) | | | $ | 17,479 | |
Income tax expense | | | | | 8,448 | | | 29,625 | |
Interest expense, net | | | | | 45,591 | | | 30,610 | |
Depreciation and amortization (2) | | | | | 26,492 | | | 8,411 | |
EBITDA (Non-GAAP) | | | | | $ | (121,793) | | | $ | 86,125 | |
Non-cash share-based compensation | | | | | 23,073 | | | 14,506 | |
Inventory charge adjustments (3) | | | | | 7,792 | | | 3,432 | |
Indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment | | | | | 111,515 | | | — | |
Goodwill impairment | | | | | 39,643 | | | 1,783 | |
Tangible long-lived asset impairment | | | | | 8,487 | | | 4,561 | |
Fair value changes in derivatives | | | | | (91,887) | | | (105,170) | |
Losses on debt redemptions/extinguishments/modifications | | | | | 18,858 | | 3,815 | |
Other, net (4) | | | | | 2,021 | | (6,956) | |
Start-up costs (5)(7) | | | | | 4,143 | | | 9,747 | |
Transaction costs (6)(7) | | | | | 5,221 | | | 2,471 | |
Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) | | | | | $ | 7,073 | | | $ | 14,314 | |
| | | | | |
(1) | Net (loss) income includes amounts attributable to non-controlling interests. |
(2) | Includes amounts that are included in cost of goods sold and in operating expenses. |
(3) | Includes: (i) inventory step-up on business combinations; (ii) inventory recall reserves; and (iii) reserves for discontinued products. The inventory step-up on business combinations relate to the fair value write-up on inventory acquired on the business acquisition date and then sold subsequent to the acquisition date. The inventory recall reserves relate to the estimated impact of the Pennsylvania Department of Health recall and ban of vape products containing certain cannabis concentrates. The ban was lifted in June 2022. |
(4) | Includes: (i) remeasurement of contingent consideration related to acquisitions; (ii) losses (gains) on investments and financial assets; (iii) losses (gains) on legal settlements; and (iv) severance costs. |
(5) | Expansion and start-up costs incurred in order to prepare a location for its intended use. Start-up costs are expensed as incurred and are not indicative of ongoing operations of each new location. |
(6) | Transaction costs include: (i) registration statement costs such as professional fees and other costs relating to our SEC registration; and (ii) acquisition and deal costs. |
(7) | During the second quarter of 2021, we revised our methodology for calculating Adjusted EBITDA to also adjust for the effects of acquisition and deal costs, and start-up costs. We revised our methodology for calculating Adjusted EBITDA because we believe that the fluctuations caused in our operating results from these items are not reflective of our core performance, and that the revised methodology provides management and investors more useful information to evaluate the operations of our business. The prior period data for these items has been added to conform to current period presentation. |
| |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated)
Sources and Uses of Cash
We had cash and cash equivalents of $27,146 as of December 31, 2022. Capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $56,881. As of December 31, 2022, we had total current assets of $70,051, and total current liabilities of $107,628. We therefore had net working capital deficit of $37,577.
The major components of our statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, are as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, |
| 2022 | | 2021 |
Net cash flows used in operating activities | $ | (21,416) | | | $ | (14,304) | |
Net cash flows used in investing activities | (80,859) | | | (113,455) | |
Net cash flows provided by financing activities | 33,983 | | | 137,663 | |
Effect of currency translation on cash | (49) | | | (274) | |
Net change in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (68,341) | | | $ | 9,630 | |
Operating activities. Cash used in operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $21,416, as compared to $14,304 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in cash used in operations is due primarily to an increase in size and scope of our general and administrative functions to support our expected continued growth, partially offset by improved management of working capital.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities totaled $80,859 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $113,455 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was comprised of (i) $56,881 for the purchases of property, plant and equipment for use in our operations, (ii) $20,978 in payments for the acquisitions of Apothecarium and NuLeaf, net of cash acquired, and (iii) $3,000 payment of contingent consideration liability for NuLeaf. The net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was comprised of (i) $75,296 for the purchases of property, plant and equipment for use in our operations, and (ii) $47,308 in payments for the acquisitions of Nature’s Remedy, Ohio Green Grow LLC, OhiGrow, Grover Beach and Organic Solutions of the Desert, LLC, net of cash acquired. Partially offsetting these cash outflows in 2021 was $9,149 in proceeds from the sales and redemptions of investments.
Financing activities. Net cash provided by financing activities totaled $33,983 for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $137,663 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was comprised of (i) $31,594 in aggregate proceeds from the Second Lien Notes to partially fund the redemption of the Senior Notes, (ii) $25,000 in aggregate proceeds from the Acquisition Facility to fund the acquisitions of NuLeaf and Apothecarium, (iii) $13,680 in aggregate proceeds from private placement equity offerings in January 2022 and February 2022, (iv) $8,830 in proceeds from other debt and financing activities, and (v) $1,203 in proceeds from the exercise of warrants and stock options. Partially offsetting these cash inflows in 2022 were (i) $33,726 in principal redemption repayments on the Senior Notes, (ii) $8,775 in payments of finance lease obligations, net, (iii) $2,437 in payments of loan financing costs and (iv) $1,386 in other financing activities, net. The net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was comprised of (i) $85,660 in aggregate proceeds from public equity offerings, net of issuance costs, in January 2021 and February 2021, (ii) $40,000 in aggregate proceeds from the Acquisition Facility, (iii) $17,128 in proceeds from the exercise of warrants and stock options, and (iv) $7,910 in proceeds from other debt. Partially offsetting these cash inflows in 2021 were (i) $8,134 in principal redemption repayments on the Senior Notes, (ii) $1,163 in payments of finance lease obligations, net (iii) $1,620 in payments on acquisition-related promissory notes, (iv) $1,701 in payments of loan financing costs, and (v) $417 in repayment of other debt.
Liquidity
As reflected in our consolidated financial statements, we incurred a loss from operations of $220,333, including non-cash asset impairment charges of $159,645, and used net cash of $21,416 for operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022, and as of that date, our current liabilities exceeded our current assets by $37,577. Since inception, we have focused on building a diverse portfolio of assets in attractive markets to vertically integrate our business. As such, we incurred losses as we continue to expand. We have put in place plans to increase the profitability of the business in fiscal year 2023 and beyond. In order to achieve profitable future operations, we began to commercialize production from our recently expanded grower-processing facilities in Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as implemented a cost-savings and efficiency optimization plan which includes, among others, reduction in labor and packaging costs as well as operating efficiencies at our retail and grower-processing facilities.
However, as of December 31, 2022, substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern within the next twelve months from the date these financial statements are available to be issued. We intend to fund our operations, capital expenditures and debt service with existing cash and cash equivalents on hand, cash generated from operations and, as needed, future financing (equity and/or debt) as well as the potential sales of non-core assets. The ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon profitable future operations and positive cash flows from operations as well as future financing and/or sales of assets if necessary. There is no assurance that we will be successful in this or any of our endeavors or become financially viable and continue as a going concern.
Additionally, the Acquisition Facility, as more further described in Note 12 - Debt elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, contains certain financial and other covenants with which we are required to comply. The required financial covenants related to minimum (i) unrestricted cash and cash equivalents balance requirement and (ii) minimum quarterly revenue requirement. Subsequent to year end December 31, 2022, on February 24, 2023 and February 27, 2023, the Company was non-compliant with an affirmative covenant relating to a minimum cash deposit requirement in a specified bank account. We also anticipated not being able to provide a certification to the lender in connection with its annual financial statements that the audit report did not contain a going concern qualification. We received waivers for these two instances on April 17, 2023.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes we will be able to realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future, and do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations
As of December 31, 2022, we do not have any off‐balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a material current or future effect on the financial performance or financial condition of the Company. Our principal and interest future obligations in relation to our debt balance of $206,358 as of December 31, 2022 are as follows: $31,733 for the year ended December 2023, $114,649 for the two years ended December 2025, and $121,123 for the two years ended December 2027. Refer to Note 12 - Debt for additional information.
For our other contractual obligations, refer to Note 13 - Leases and Note 22 - Commitments and Contingencies of our Annual Financial Statements on Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our Annual Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make judgments, estimates, and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are relevant. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods. The critical accounting estimates and judgements are disclosed in Note 2 - Basis of Presentation and
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Annual Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated)
We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of business. Some potential market risks are discussed below:
Market Risk
Strategic and operational risks arise if we fail to carry out business operations and/or raise sufficient equity and/or debt financing. These strategic opportunities or threats arise from a range of factors that might include changing economic and political circumstances and regulatory approvals and competitor actions. The risk is mitigated by consideration of other potential development opportunities and challenges which management may undertake.
Currency Risk
Our operating results and financial position are reported in U.S. dollars. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had Second Lien Notes in the amount of C$25,090 (~$18,526). Additionally, some of the Company’s other financial transactions are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, the Company’s results of operations are subject to currency transaction risks.
We have no hedging agreements in place with respect to foreign exchange rates. We have not entered into any agreements or purchased any instruments to hedge possible currency risks at this time.
Credit Risk
Management does not believe that the Company currently has credit risk related to its operations, as the Company’s revenue is generated primarily through cash transactions. Concentrations of credit risk with respect to our cash and cash equivalents are limited primarily to amounts held with financial institutions. Credit risk related to operations could increase as the Company continues to expand its wholesale operations.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate as a result of changes in market interest rates. Cash equivalents bear interest at market rates. Substantially all of our debt has fixed rates of interest and therefore our exposure is limited.
Inflation Risk
If our costs become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Asset Forfeiture Risk
Because the cannabis industry remains illegal under U.S. federal law, any property owned by participants in the cannabis industry which are either used in the course of conducting such business, or are the proceeds of such business, could be subject to seizure by law enforcement and subsequent civil asset forfeiture. Even if the owner of the property were never charged with a crime, the property in question could still be seized and subject to an administrative proceeding by which, with minimal due process, it could be subject to forfeiture.
Banking Risk
There has been no change in U.S. federal banking laws related to the deposit and holding of funds derived from activities related to the marijuana industry. Given that U.S. federal law provides that the production and possession of cannabis is
illegal, there is a strong argument that banks cannot accept for deposit funds from businesses involved with the marijuana industry. Consequently, businesses involved in the marijuana industry often have difficulty accessing the U.S. banking system and traditional financing sources. The inability to open bank accounts with certain institutions may make it difficult to operate the businesses of Jushi, its subsidiaries and investee companies, and leaves their cash holdings vulnerable. We have banking relationships in all jurisdictions in which we operate.
1Item 8. Audited Financial Statements
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of Jushi Holdings Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Jushi Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 2, the Company has a significant working capital deficit, incurred significant operating losses and net loss, sustained significant negative cash flows from operations and needs to generate significant positive cash flows from operations, raise additional funds and/or sell assets to meet its obligations and sustain its operations and was non-compliant with certain debt covenants. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP (PCAOB ID 688)
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Chicago, Illinois
April 17, 2023
JUSHI HOLDINGS INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share amounts)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| December 31, 2022 | | December 31, 2021 | | |
ASSETS | | | | | |
CURRENT ASSETS: | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 26,196 | | | $ | 94,962 | | | |
Accounts receivable, net | 4,809 | | | 3,200 | | | |
Inventories, net | 35,089 | | | 43,319 | | | |
|